Mountaintop Historical Society asks Greene County for $15,000 annual support to sustain visitor services
December 18, 2025 | Greene County, New York
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George Van Dyke, president of the Mountaintop Historical Society, asked the Greene County Legislature during committee reports for renewed county support, saying the society needs funds to staff its train station and support visitor services.
"My name is, George Van Dyke. I am the president of the Mount Cal Historical Society," Van Dyke said during his remarks. He described the society’s mission to preserve local history and provide educational programs, and said the organization operates largely with volunteers.
Van Dyke said the society’s train station saw "around 3,500" visitors in a season and that the group has opened the station on weekends to serve tourists. He told the Legislature the society runs on a mostly volunteer basis and that prior county funds — which the society said amounted to $15,000 last year — were used primarily to fund staffing to keep the train station open.
Legislators pressed the society on whether the $15,000 request was a one-time ask or intended to be annual support and whether the county should instead fold oversight and any recurring subsidy into the tourism department’s budget for reporting and coordination. A legislator suggested the county consider moving the society’s funding to the tourism department to avoid repeated annual appropriations.
Society representatives said they are working on a master plan with Delaware Engineering that will identify campus improvements across a roughly 50-acre site with multiple buildings that need work. Van Dyke said the society’s operating budget is about $100,000 a year and that the master-plan process will identify long-term capital needs.
The request prompted discussion but the transcript contains no record of a formal vote on the $15,000 request during the meeting. Legislators also noted the society has applied for grants and intends to pursue additional outside funding.
The Legislature did not take a final funding vote on the Mountaintop Historical Society’s request during the meeting; members asked staff to consider whether the tourism department might assume responsibility for reporting and future budget requests.
"My name is, George Van Dyke. I am the president of the Mount Cal Historical Society," Van Dyke said during his remarks. He described the society’s mission to preserve local history and provide educational programs, and said the organization operates largely with volunteers.
Van Dyke said the society’s train station saw "around 3,500" visitors in a season and that the group has opened the station on weekends to serve tourists. He told the Legislature the society runs on a mostly volunteer basis and that prior county funds — which the society said amounted to $15,000 last year — were used primarily to fund staffing to keep the train station open.
Legislators pressed the society on whether the $15,000 request was a one-time ask or intended to be annual support and whether the county should instead fold oversight and any recurring subsidy into the tourism department’s budget for reporting and coordination. A legislator suggested the county consider moving the society’s funding to the tourism department to avoid repeated annual appropriations.
Society representatives said they are working on a master plan with Delaware Engineering that will identify campus improvements across a roughly 50-acre site with multiple buildings that need work. Van Dyke said the society’s operating budget is about $100,000 a year and that the master-plan process will identify long-term capital needs.
The request prompted discussion but the transcript contains no record of a formal vote on the $15,000 request during the meeting. Legislators also noted the society has applied for grants and intends to pursue additional outside funding.
The Legislature did not take a final funding vote on the Mountaintop Historical Society’s request during the meeting; members asked staff to consider whether the tourism department might assume responsibility for reporting and future budget requests.
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