Tackapausha Museum Future in Limbo

The future of Seaford’s remains is in limbo as Nassau County continues to figure how to wrestle with a massive budget gap.

Tackapausha Museum Director Wendy Albin was one of more than 200 county workers laid off in late December and the facility’s doors have been closed for the entire month of January. 

Nassau County Communications Director Brian Nevin said they could not comment on personnel matters but added that the museum is expected to reopen to the public "on a regular basis this spring."

While the museum's doors have been closed without Albin in her director position, the county has arranged for a not-for-profit group to care for the animals inside. 

In early November, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said that the Tackapausha Museum starting Jan. 1 from Wednesday to Friday. In September Mangano announced the county-run wildlife museum on 2225 Washington Ave.  to help close a more than $300 million budget gap.

Tackapausha Museum, which recently , was set to celebrate its 65^th anniversary this year. The museum has been closed to the public since Aug. 16, 2010 when the renovation project first began.

The recently formed Friends of Tackapausha Committee has been hard at work this month trying to reopen the museum and restore Albin's job. The group, which is in the process of registering to become a 501(c) charity that can fundraise on behalf of the museum, has its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday night on the second floor of the  at 7 p.m.

"We would like the museum to stay open as a county museum," Friends of Tackapausha Committee president Lorraine Bondi-Goldsmith said. "We’re hoping the county will really work to get Wendy back in her position."