New state park proposed in Springfield

Muckross, the home of the late Edgar May, could be a new state park.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140909/NEWS02/140909979

Published September 9, 2014 in the Rutland Herald New state park proposed in Springfield By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Muckross, the home of the late Edgar May, could be a new state park. Deborah Markowitz, the secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, said Monday that May had been in discussions with state officials before he died about turning Muckross into a day camp for disadvantaged children, as well as opening it to the general public. May died in December 2012 without formalizing his plans, but Markowitz said that his sister, former Gov. Madeleine May Kunin, and her children are working to carry out his wishes. “Sadly, Edgar passed away and now his family is interested in working with us to fulfill his vision for Muckross,” Markowitz wrote in a letter to the Springfield Select Board. Markowitz said it has been years since the state has created a new park, and she said that the state Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation examined the plan and has agreed it’s a good idea. “I don’t know the last time we developed a new state park,” she said. She said that Springfield was “under-served” when it came to state recreational facilities, and Muckross would provide swimming, fishing, cross-country skiing and hiking. “It’s a great way to serve the community and honor the memory of Edgar May,” she said. She said the park, in addition to the day camp, would also be open to the public, but she said there would be few services available like there are at other state parks. Markowitz said Muckross is in need of repairs to the dam, bridge and buildings, as well as the narrow dirt road leading to the property. “We have enough pledged right now to stabilize the building and next year open a summer camp and open it to public,” said Markowitz. She said the bridge, the dam and the main building need immediate attention. She said one of the outbuildings would likely be renovated to provide space for the children at the day camp. She said the state was working in partnership with the Kunin family to establish the park. The family is donating the land and also donating money to help stabilize the buildings. State and federal funding and some grants will complete the funding picture, she said. If Muckross Park becomes a reality, it would be the second recreational facility in Springfield in May’s name. He was key in the formation and building of the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center in Springfield. May died at age 83 at his winter home in Arizona. A native of Zurich,, Switzerland, he was a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, a former deputy director of the domestic Peace Corps, VISTA, and a Springfield state representative and Windsor County senator. He was also the former chief operating officer of the Special Olympics. Markowitz said that May’s home needs a new roof and other work, and would be closed and not used for the foreseeable future until there was funding to renovate it. She said, however, that the state wants the support of the Town of Springfield, since as a state park, Muckross would come off the town’s list of taxable property, but would be eligible for payment in lieu of taxes. The Select Board was expected to consider the proposal Monday night. Muckross was built by an executive with Springfield’s largest machine tool companies, Jones & Lamson Machine Co., as his “country home” while also maintaining a home in the village. W.D. Woolson, who was treasurer of J&L, completed the home in 1911, according to Keith Barney’s book, “The History of Springfield, 1885-1961.” It was named after a famous home and garden in Ireland, Muckross Park. W.D. Woolson sold the house in 1928 to a C.F. Kelly of Larchmont, N.Y., for the then-grand sum of $75,000. At the time, it was described as having a private suspension footbridge connecting it to the main road, a private 3.5 kilowatt hydroelectric station with an 80-foot head, operating on a brook, and numerous buildings on the property. Woolson then moved into the former Adnabrown mansion. He died in 1945. May bought the property in the 1960s, and returned to Springfield in 1973 after living and working abroad.