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General News: RIverfront Committee Discusses Public Feedback
February 08, 2007
Bathrooms and trash cans – those are the two items requested most frequently by the 84 people who attended last fall’s public hearings designed to solicit input on the future of the village’s Hudson River waterfront. A better boat ramp, or floating dock, were high on the list of improvements that many people said they favored, while a permanent structure was given thumbs down.
After these relatively small changes, it was reported at Wednesday evening’s meeting of the Riverfront Revitalization Committee, people clearly wanted to keep Donahue Memorial Park the way it is.
“No one wants changes in Donahue Park,” committee member Andy Maroney pointed out, “but we do have recommendations for the old O & W property.” That’s the strip of land that runs between the railroad track and the river, north of the park. He also said the committee should make it clear to the public that it has no plans afoot to develop the land south of the yacht club that is currently owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Committee member Mary Donahue reported that she was part of a subcommittee that met with members of the yacht club, who said that they want to work with the committee to help put in a better dock. The yacht club members also said the Quaker chapel they used for storage was in serious disrepair.
Not every recommendation could be thoroughly discussed and Maroney mentioned that the committee should consider suggestions from the public to provide a safe, handicapped-accessible sidewalk along the river and to reclaim old stonework at the north end of the park to rebuild something that was already there.
Any of these actions would cost money and committee member Bob Anderson reminded the group that “people don’t want money spent to improve the park.” Neither does the public seem to want to develop the area for anything that would raise tax revenue, members said.
Recognizing that funds for any improvements would largely come from grant money, John Wenz, who chairs the committee, proposed that they bring in a professional consultant who will help them develop a plan consistent with the state’s guide to waterfront revitalization. The committee will not toss aside numerous additional recommendations made at the public hearings, but must find a reasonable method for setting goals and priorities.
“We want a consultant (so we can) go about it the right way, out in the open,” he told the committee. “This is a slow process, it takes time,” Wenz said. “But we would be foolish to rush into it.” The committee also plans to consult with village attorney Howard Protter on how to move head.
And, summing up a common refrain voiced by committee members throughout the meeting, Wenz emphasized that anything that involves development of the waterfront should be done in an open process. “The public (should) be encouraged to participate in those discussions,” he said.
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