In the 1950's my grandfather (John Fix Sr) was treasurer of the building committee for the construction of the Tuckahoe Eastchester Girl Scout cabin on Highland Avenue. Based on historical records like drawings and blueprints, it appears the idea for a Girl Scout cabin was discussed for a few years, and several locations were considered including a plot of land that is now Greenvale School and Labriola Field. In 1951 the County of Westchester provided a parcel of land on Highland Avenue to the Town of Eastchester, and the Girl Scout cabin project moved forward. Funds were raised through sales of Girl Scout cookies (yummy!) as well as from private donations, and the cabin was completed in June of 1958. Four generations of Fix family members have participated in Girl Scout events at the cabin my grandfather helped build, so it holds a sentimental place in my heart.That connection is also likely felt by thousands of Girl Scouts and their families who have used the cabin over the past half-century. How many other communities in Westchester have such a unique facility, a cabin in the woods, close to home and yet isolated by trees, with a bubbling stream running through the property? It's an oasis in the community, a shared natural woodlands protected from development.
Places like the cabin need to be protected and cherished. It is far too easy to take a short term view and make "improvements" that change the character of a facility. The Girl Scout cabin is used for a very specific purpose...for Girl Scout activities. It is used a LOT, because we have an active and vibrant Girl Scout community in Tuckahoe, Eastchester and Bronxville. While many youth organizations struggle, the Girl Scouts continue to attract large numbers of girls to their program. One reason for this success is the dedication of the leaders, who volunteer so much of their time to the Girl Scouts. Isn't it great that our town has such a wonderful organization that brings parents and children together to learn, grow, play, and serve their community?
So it really boggles the mind to see how the current town administration is trying to chip away at this wonderful cabin. With so much going on and so many challenges facing both our town government as well as our local economy why choose to focus attention on something that has worked wonderfully for over 50 years? First (in 2009) the supervisor proposes a park/playground which nobody in the local community asked for, without even contacting the local civic association or the Girl Scouts. Luckily, the local civic association turned down the supervisor's quest to build a playground in the woodland and the idea was dropped.
In the fall of 2011 the supervisor refused to renew the Girl Scout lease without first making changes. This is a lease that has been renewed with little or no change for over 50 years, and suddenly it needs major revisions? The lease rewrites have now dragged on for over seven months, and the Girl Scouts are still without a lease they can agree to. The supervisor now has threatened that if the Girl Scouts do not sign the revised lease they will be evicted.
Note that the supervisor has not directly threatened the Girl Scouts, and technically he may not be the one who refused to renew the existing lease (a lease which he had approved at the prior renewal). He has left this to the town attorney, a town attorney that the supervisor appointed. What has suddenly changed to require so many revisions to the lease?
Here's the bottom line...if it ain't broke don't try to fix it. We have a thriving, wonderful organization that includes hundreds of children and their parents. They have a perfect facility, with a long tradition, and everything is working smoothly and at NO COST TO THE TOWN. Why change it? Why add costs and responsibility to the town?
Nobody in the town government has even attempted to answer the "Why?" question, and I think it's time to demand an answer to this very simple question.
Why specifically can't the existing lease be renewed without any changes?
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