New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that the Assembly passed legislation he co-sponsored (A.7392-A,S.4757-A) to amend New York State law to authorize the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) establish a Resident Curator Program for the rehabilitation of State park buildings, specifically with respect to the leasing of three vacant and obsolete buildings located at Long Island-based parks: Cold Spring Harbor State Park, Heckscher State Park, and Hither Hills State Park.

On Long Island there are residential-style buildings within State Park boundaries which either are not being used or serving a park purpose, or have deteriorated to the point that significant capital investments and improvement must be made before the buildings could be used. This bill would establish a new method by which private funds could be used to rehabilitate and use these residential structures. In exchange, long term leases would be issued by the OPRHP.

The building referred to as “LI 40” at Hither Hills State Park in Montauk has been identified as an ideal structure for this new Resident Curator Program. This Spanish adobe style 5 bedroom home which overlooks the Atlantic ocean had been used in the past to house the Park Superintendent. However, the structure has aged and is in need of significant renovation.

Similar Resident Curator Programs have been established at State parks in Maryland and Massachusetts.

The bill must now be delivered to the Governor for review and consideration before it is signed into law.