Chenango Greenway Conservancy, the Norwich City School District, and Rogers Environmental Education Center have partnered to create an outdoor learning center in Norwich with a 1.1 million dollar grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation. The center will be at the Smith Farm along Route 10A, on the hillside west of the City of Norwich. The Greenway oversees about 500 acres of land in the greater Norwich area including the Riverwalk Trail in the City of Norwich, the Stone Quarry, Patsy’s Riverview and Three Amigos. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH - On Earth Day, in April of this year, the Chenango Greenway Conservancy announced plans to purchase the historic Smith Farm along Route 10A, recognized by many residents for its beautiful sculptures along the sloped hillside west of the City of Norwich.

Now, after the Chenango Greenway Conservancy was recently awarded $1,103,275 grant through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the property will be purchased and a outdoor learning community center will be established at the site.

Greenway Conservancy Chair Sharon Pelosi said, “The grant program is designed to create community environmental education center.”

The conservancy partnered with the City of Norwich School District and the Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne to acquire the grant.

Pelosi said the Greenway’s goal is to make West Hill easier to experience for families, students, and casual visitors, and not just for experienced hikers and mountain bikers.

“The beauty of it is that you can walk there from downtown, or you can bike there pretty easily. It’s so accessible, and I think it’s a wonderful thing for the town,” she said.

The Conservancy plans to repurpose the site as the West Hill Nature Center, a year-round base for outdoor learning, community programs and improved visitor access.

“So the purchase will, in the end, be about 109 acres,” explained Pelosi.

The proposed nature center will connect to a broader West Hill network of properties that includes the nearby hilltop and rock quarry, creating an impressive outdoor space of more than 300 acres for local residents. “So altogether, it’s really quite an extensive network of property that would be available to the public,” she said.

The owners of the farm, the Smiths, are longtime stewards of the land and have championed conservation across Chenango County, including gifting “Patsy’s Riverview,” a beautiful riverside parcel in the City of Norwich already protected by the Greenway. She said the Smiths are donating about half of the land for the current project.

The iconic Route 10A landscapes will become the future home of the West Hill Nature Center.

“Now, thanks to their generosity and vision, the Chenango Greenway has entered into a purchase agreement to permanently conserve the property and make it accessible to the public,” said Chenango Greenway Conservancy Board Member Inez Moutarde. She said funding will be released in stages as renovations, trail enhancements, and educational upgrades progress over the next several years.

“This award is a dream come true,” said Pelosi. “It represents long-standing collaboration, community visioning, and a deep belief that access to nature is essential for education, health, and connection.”

She said the conservancy will begin early planning and community outreach in the coming months, inviting educators, environmental professionals, and community members to help shape the center’s future.

Pelosi said the plan is to renovate the existing structures rather than build new facilities from scratch. “So we have the grant that will fund the acquisition of the property and then the renovation of it.”

She added, “Our plans for the property are to convert it into an exhibit space and then meeting spaces for public events, for clubs and organizations in the community, and also a learning space.”

“The grant will fund refurbishment of those so that we can repurpose them more to support public uses and these educational public spaces,” she said.

Pelosi said the conservancy partnered with educators because the nature center is designed to expand programming on the hill. She said the conservancy developed a partnership with the Rogers Environmental Conservation Center in Sherburne and the Norwich City School District to create exhibits and programming.

“The Greenway, we’re not educators, we are stewards of the land, but the school district and Rogers Center have a lot of experience in outdoor programs and education,” she said.

“This award elevates the entire county,” said Rogers Executive Director David Carson, “We look forward to partnering with the Greenway as they bring this beautiful new resource to life.”

In a statement Norwich School Superintendent Scott Ryan said “The Norwich City School District is thrilled to celebrate the awarding of this grant. This investment brings long-overdue educational access to one of our region’s most beautiful natural resources. It will allow us to integrate real-world STEAM experiences into our curriculum while promoting conservation, recreation, and community connection.”

Pelosi also emphasized how close the properties were to everyday life in downtown Norwich.

With direct access to trails and dedicated educational spaces, Pelosi said students would be able to explore science, ecology, engineering and environmental stewardship through field-based learning. The project also aims to support youth organizations across Chenango County.

In a statement, City of Norwich Youth Bureau Director Anthony Testani said, “I’m excited for the opportunities this will provide for our local youth,” said “It will allow us to expand our programming into hiking, biking, and outdoor activities we’ve never been able to offer before.”

Pelosi hopes the project will not only boost local recreation, but also aid the local economy.

“Really, what we want to see is that this becomes an economic driver for Norwich. Outdoor recreation is such a huge attraction, and it can be a really important part of revitalizing the town,” she said.

“I moved away from Norwich for many years after I graduated high school, and I lived in an urban area that was super developed without good open space. I think until you realize how easy it is to lose it, through development and privatization, it can happen quickly,” said Pelosi.

She added, “Even though this region of the state is economically disadvantaged right now, it shouldn’t stay that way. So we need to take steps to protect these resources that really define our community and make it the beautiful place that it is.”

The project is supported by the Norwich City School District, Friends of Rogers, Commerce Chenango, 4-H, SUNY Morrisville, and many more local partners.

The Chenango Greenway Conservancy is an all-volunteer charity organized in 2006 to develop a network of multiple use recreation trails in and around the City of Norwich.

The organization oversees about 500 acres of land in the greater Norwich area that is maintained for public outdoor recreation including the Riverwalk Trail in the City of Norwich, the Stone Quarry, Patsy’s Riverview and Three Amigos.

For more information or to make a donation, visit chenangogreenway.littlegreenlight.com or visit Chenango Greenway on Facebook or Instagram.