by Samantha Montagna

MAMAKATING — During the February 16 meeting, Mamakating Town Supervisor, Janet Lybolt, brought up the D&H Canal Interpretive Center on Bova Road and the idea of the town taking control of its operations.

She explained that back in 2017, a previous town board passed a resolution to have the center change hands from the county to the town in either a lease or deed. Lybolt told the board that the county approached her recently about the town taking over the museum.

Lybolt explained that approximately ten years ago, the county received a $1.1 million grant, which allowed the museum to be built along with the signs that explain the history of the canal that are placed all along the trail. Other than this, Lybolt stated, not much was ever done with the museum. According to Lybolt, the museum has not been promoted, and there is no fee to enter, and the cost to operate the museum is $9,793 annually. She stated her belief that it would be an asset to the town because of the D&H Canal trail and its location on Route 209 with its ability to be connected to the Mamakating Environmental Education Center (MEEC).

Councilman Gary Forthoffer asked if the town would be able to lease or buy the building for a nominal fee. Lybolt responded that the building could be leased or bought outright for a small fee; Lybolt said $10 as an example.

Deputy Supervisor, Eileen Rogers, stated that the building is new with new facilities and exhibits in place ready for visitors. She also stated that any “number of things can be done with the building,” and the museum fits in with the town's Comprehensive Plan for eco-tourism.

Lybolt also stated that she would love to add a 40-foot replica boat that would have been on the canal with future grants, and that the High Falls museum gifted exhibits and materials that could be used in the center to Mamakating that are waiting to be used in the MEEC currently.

Councilman John Lacey asked Lybolt, “Do we have enough on our plate with incomplete projects before we complete one?” He stated that the town is still working on grants for the MEEC, repairs on the Bloomingburg Dutch Reform Church, and the trails throughout the town. He continued that eventually it will come to the point where the town will have to hire people at an unknown cost to the taxpayer to finish these projects.

Lybolt responded that the money for these projects is already granted. She continued that the improvements on the MEEC building took more time because she wanted to make sure that the granted money was still available before starting construction.

Due to the pandemic, she explained, she was not sure that the funds were still accessible.

“Would you rather we go ahead with it not knowing funds were available?” she asked Lacey. She also stated that the funds for the Bloomingburg Church came in recently, and once the weather warms up, progress could be made.

“We've discussed this several times,” she told Lacey.

Rogers reminded the board that the pandemic “put everyone behind” and “slowed things down.”

Staffing and Promotion

The board then shifted the conversation to how the museum would be staffed. Lybolt stated that the building would be open starting Memorial Day into the fall months on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The center costs approximately $7,000 in staffing costs. Lybolt suggested that the town could cut that cost by up to a third if the Parks and Recreation director for Mamakating worked at the center on Fridays.

Forthoffer asked if the center could be staffed by volunteers. Lybolt answered that it could be possible, and she might know a few people who would be interested in volunteering.

Lybolt also answered Forthoffer's question about Sullivan County promoting the center. She stated that the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association could promote it as well as the MEEC and the Mamakating Local Development Corporation.

More Debate

Councilman James Carney told the board, “Don't get excited about buying this building.” He continued to explain that he spent two weekends in the area, and claims that the interpretive center did not see any people come in. “It's at the end of a dead end [road]” and “it's not worth it,” he stated. Lybolt responded that people also said that about the MEEC.

Lacey stated that the MEEC is not a 100 percent success, and that director Jackie Broder is struggling to get people in the center every week especially in the winter months. He said the two centers should not be compared.

Lybolt stated that the pandemic affected the progress of the MEEC, but the success of the center is “a process, not an event.” She stated that Broder is doing a good job amidst a time when even restaurants and retail businesses are struggling to stay open. She also said that she tried to get into a program that Broder was holding at the MEEC, but it was already full with 20 people signed up and that she had to wait for the next time.

Lybolt repeated her belief that the center would be positive for the town as a part of eco-tourism and that she was only asking the board to look it over since this was based on a resolution from 2017. “You have to put effort into something to get something out of it,” she stated.