Westchester County and the Village of Dobbs Ferry have reached a preliminary agreement on a $7 million project to develop the RiverWalk trailway near the Hudson River shore of the village and stabilize and revitalize the village's Waterfront Park.
County Executive Robert P. Astorino was joined by Mayor Hartley Connett and County Legislator Thomas Abinanti, who represents the area at the site Tuesday to discuss the plans for the half-mile RiverWalk segment and the 7.5-acre park. The news conference took place at the site (near the Half Moon restaurant).
RiverWalk is the county's planned 51-mile, multi-faceted pedestrian trailway that weaves through the main streets of historic river towns and provides access and linkages to recreational, cultural and historic resources along the Hudson River waterfront. Nearly half of the Westchester RiverWalk route is directly along the river's shore. It spans 14 municipalities. Thirty-three miles of trailways have already been incorporated into RiverWalk.
In August, the county completed a scenic one-mile segment of RiverWalk in Tarrytown which runs along the river and passes through the property of the Lyndhurst historic estate, Kraft Foods and Metro-North Railroad.
"Piece by piece, we are expanding RiverWalk, which will be a magnificent trailway for our residents," said Astorino. "This park redevelopment in Dobbs Ferry will add a new segment and help the village not only stabilize but also enhance its waterfront."
Plans for Waterfront Park include the RiverWalk promenade, children's playgrounds, picnic areas, a performance stage, comfort station, a kayak launch area and a great lawn. As part of the park revitalization, the village will also undertake a project to stabilize the river shoreline.
Under terms of the preliminary agreement, the county will contribute $2 million; New York State will contribute $2 million; the village will contribute $1 million; and Maria McKellar, a local resident and private benefactor will contribute $1 million. She will contribute another $500,000 if the village raises the same amount in private donations.
"Dobbs Ferry is grateful for the efforts of the many residents in the community who volunteered their time – over many years – to help develop the waterfront vision, and to County Executive Astorino and staff, and Legislator Abinanti for their support," Mayor Connett said. "This project is a positive example of how state, county and local government agencies can share and work together – in conjunction with the private sector – to achieve a long-term vision and plan which will protect the environment and improve the economic sustainability and quality of life for the region as a whole."
Abinanti said, "The county's grant will save Dobbs Ferry's waterfront park from significant deterioration and provide jobs and a much needed boost to the local economy. There would be no project without the county's help."
Preliminary plans for the Dobbs Ferry segment of RiverWalk, as detailed in the 2003 "Hudson River Trailway Plan" prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning, call for the trailway to begin at Wickers Creek on the west side of the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line tracks and proceed south through waterfront lands on Palisades Street. The trailway will then continue through a now undeveloped portion of the Village's waterfront property to an existing path along the shoreline of Waterfront Park. At the southern end of the park, near the Half Moon Restaurant, RiverWalk's prospective route will follow High Street over the railroad tracks to Walnut Street where it will intersect with the Old Croton Aqueduct.
Cutline: (l-r) Dobbs Ferry Mayor Hartley Connett, Arch McKelllar, Maria McKellar, County Executive Robert P. Astorino and County Legislator Thomas Abinanti