Winter is over. With its passing comes a list of projects that are either in an early building stage or about to start. It is safe to say that Tarrytown and the adjacent villages have never had so many projects about to blossom.
For those that have been keeping track, herewith is a list of what is, or what could be, happening in the next few months.
Both fire stations, Rt. 119 and Sheldon Avenue, are well into their initial stages. They are expected to be finished this Fall.
Village Hall is ready to begin installing the pilings that precede the foundation. It is expected to be finished in the Spring of ’08. Some of the commuter parking space has been temporarily taken over by construction, but it will be returned when the building is completed. Additional spaces will be provided on the Hudson side of the tracks.
A referendum is being planned for new ballfield surfaces. Along with this new request for money is the increasing number of suggestions that the Village itself become more involved with School System projects. Many of the fields are within Tarrytown limits. Unfortunately, most of the decisions for the System are made by the State and too often there is a duplication of effort and resources. Many have questioned the lack of ballfield conditioning and general upkeep. And speaking of the school system, anyone driving by the High School can watch the dramatic progress of the new structure, which will be quickly followed by new masonry and the steel for the new gym which is about to be erected.
The Senior Center will receive an additional main room, courtesy of Joe Cotter’s group, National RE/Sources. Similarly, Cotter’s organization will eventually begin construction on the Aquatic Center, complete with an Olympic-sized pool and an exercise room. It will also contain a café that will look down the river at Manhattan in the distance. Currently, there is a debate as to whether the Center will be at 30,000 sq.ft. or at a smaller footage of 22,000 sq. ft.
Ferry Landings itself will commence its own development, and along with it will come the County project of "Riverwalk" which will come up from Yonkers all the way to Peekskill. It will be a continuous walk beside the Hudson giving all citizens, not just those locally, a chance to be in close contact with one of America’s great rivers. Tarrytown has applied for a 3.5 million dollar State grant to help defray our expenses on this project.
The infamous "Weir," a term which for longest time remained a mystery to most Villagers, will finally be put into the pond at the corner of Prospect and Benedict on the Christ the Scientist church property. It turns out that a "Weir" is simply a name for a water "holding" system that can control the amount of storm water that can be stored and/or released, allowing the severity of a serious storm to be mitigated. For the purist, it’s a dam!
The Loh Basin project, in its entirety, is ongoing and will eventually provide much needed and improved storm drainage for the Village. At the same time, the potable water system is being repaired and improved. Pipes are being replaced or re-lined with concrete liners. Bringing Briarcliff Manor "on line" to the Tarrytown water system, which brings water in from the Catskill system, is now on the way to design completion. Finally, Wilson Park’ s FEIS is available at the Library and Village Hall. The next step will be to open the document for public comment on the details in the FEIS.
