Greenfield property donated to Skidmore

A local business has donated to Skidmore College a parcel of 200 acres of undeveloped land in the town of Greenfield.

Michael and Margaret Roohan, owners of Granite & Marble Works , Inc. of Wilton, have donated the property, located to the north of Daniels Road and west of Route 9, as a means of preserving open space. "We are hoping to contribute to the community and to preserve the environment and nature in the area," said Michael Roohan. He noted that the gift was made in part as a tribute to the employees of the family business. 

Skidmore has formed a committee to explore the potential use of the site for study and research in the same way that faculty and students use its North Woods, a 250-acre parcel to the north of the main campus. The North Woods tract serves as a resource for more than 30 courses in such fields as biology, environmental studies, geosciences, history, anthropology, English, art, and American studies.

"We very much appreciate the generosity of Mike and Margaret in making this gift of land, which is such a valuable resource for an institution that plans on being a part of the region and community, essentially, forever," said Michael West, Skidmore's vice president for finance and administration. "We will carefully examine the options that ownership of this property gives us. Although the site is not directly adjacent to the campus or our North Woods, it is very close to the college and is already of great interest to our faculty and students in a wide range of courses."

West said that Skidmore would not request tax-exempt status for the newly acquired land, which would leave the parcel on the Greenfield tax rolls.