Greenburgh Town Board names multipurpose center for Gerard Byrne

GREENBURGH TOWN BOARD UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO RENAME MULTIPURPOSE CENTER AT ANTHONY F. VETERAN PARK RENAMED THE GERARD J. BYRNE CENTER



At our December 18, 2023, meeting, the Greenburgh Town Board unanimously voted to rename the Multipurpose Center at Anthony F. Veteran Park, 11 Olympic Lane, Ardsley, NY, as the Gerard J. Byrne Center.

Gerard Byrne, known to most as Gerry, served as commissioner of parks and recreation for the Town of Greenburgh Department of Parks and Recreation for more than three decades. Gerry started out as deputy commissioner in July 1986, and in March 1989 was promoted to commissioner. He will be retiring on December 31, 2023, after a 44-year career in public parks and recreation.

The building’s renaming is especially appropriate because Gerry was a key proponent of the need for this facility, which serves all town residents, from children to seniors, and opened in 2000.

As Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, he was responsible for planning, promoting, and overseeing a comprehensive department that is made up of 45 parks, 4 park preserves, numerous buildings, 30 tennis courts, 6 multipurpose sports fields, 7 outdoor pools, 10 pickleball courts, and a permanent cricket pitch.

Gerry was instrumental in nearly tripling the size of our park system during his career, from 233 acres to 634 acres; notable additions include the Glenville Woods Park Preserve, Harts Brook Park and Preserve, and the Taxter Ridge Park Preserve. In 2022, for the Elmwood Preserve Development next to East Rumbrook Park, Gerry lobbied the town board to accept 14.1 acres for parkland from the developer rather than opting for taking money in lieu of land. This area is now earmarked to become a park in 2024, which will further expand the town’s park system to 648 acres.

He has overseen numerous park development and improvement projects, including but not limited to pools, tennis courts, ball fields, building construction and/or renovations, trails, playgrounds, a dog park, cricket pitch, and an archery range. His department also oversees a nutrition program for senior citizens, offers a wide variety of recreational and social programs, and seasonal special events.

He has served as a liaison to our local boards of education, the Theodore D. Young Community Center, Greenburgh Nature Center, and other service-oriented organizations related to parks and recreation. He has also been active in many professional organizations, including the National Recreation and Park Association, and has served as a past president of the New York State Parks and Recreation Society.

Gerry was born and raised in the Town of Greenburgh, attended Ardsley Schools, where he was a successful student athlete, and was inducted into the Ardsley High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

After high school he attended Eastern Illinois University, where he was a two-time All American pole vaulter and received his bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation. He then went on to obtain a master’s of science degree in parks and recreation administration from the University of Illinois.

Prior to returning to Greenburgh in 1986, he worked for the Mundelein (Illinois) Park and Recreation District and the Champaign (Illinois) Park District, where he obtained valuable experience in public recreation programming, administration, and conservation.

Over the years Gerry has been involved in coaching youth sports and can be still be seen officiating high school basketball games and volleyball matches throughout Westchester and Putnam counties or coaching pole vaulters as a volunteer at Fordham Prep in the Bronx.

The town appreciates his decades-long commitment to providing quality public parks and recreation services, and we wish him the best in his retirement. In the spring of 2024, the town plans to host a formal dedication of the Gerard J. Byrne Center at Anthony F. Veteran Park.

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Link to Town Board testimonial honoring outgoing Parks Commissioner Gerard J. Byrne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6r6xPSRAsQ