October 28, 2003 Meeting Minutes
Saw Mill River Coalition
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, October 28, 2003, 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M
Pace University, Pleasantville, NY
PRESENT: Justin Bloom, Riverkeeper; Carol Capobianco, Saw Mill River
Coalition; Scott Cuppett; NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program; Ray
Curran, Scenic Hudson; Allegra Dengler, Dobbs Ferry and Sierra Club;
Joanne Dittersdorf, NPS Rivers & Trails; Ron Gatto, Westchester
County Environmental Security; Joan Jennings, Yonkers
Downtown/Waterfront BID; Dave Kvinge, Westchester County Planning
Dept.; Rick Magder, Groundwork Yonkers; Dick Manley, Beczak
Environmental Education Center; Diane Miller, Westchester County
Planning Dept.; Ann-Marie Mitroff, Dobbs Ferry; Charlene Paden, Beczak
and Dobbs Ferry LWRP; Bob Pavone, Westchester County Environmental
Security; Marie Rippo; Groundwork Yonkers; Lucille Sciacca, Philipse
Manor Hall State Historic Site; Angelo Spillo, Pace Environmental
Center
INTRODUCTIONS: All present introduced themselves. There were many new
faces among the attendees. Carol thanked Angelo Spillo, director of the
Pace Environmental Center, for hosting the coalition at the university.
This was our first meeting at this new venue, fulfilling the mandate to
move the meetings to a more central location within the watershed.
Angelo spoke briefly about the Environmental Center. Marie Rippo of
Groundwork Yonkers once again recorded the minutes.
REVIEW OF LAST MEETING AND UPDATES:
Minutes of last meeting were accepted.
• The coalition now has a wonderful 30×40 map of the Saw Mill River
watershed, courtesy of Diane Miller and the Westchester County Planning
Department. It was on display at the meeting.
• The fish study of the
Saw Mill River, conducted by Dr. Tony Pappantoniou of Lehman College
and the Beczak, has been completed. Tony will send a copy of the report
to Carol. He noted in an email that “very little has changed since the
last survey,” which was in 1989.
• Carol reported on the environmental
debate between the Yonkers mayoral candidates, Joe Farmer and Phil
Amicone, sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters, which Carol
and Rick attended. They had provided the League with questions for the
candidates relative to the Saw Mill River.
REPORTS:
• Dave Kvinge, the new director of Environmental Planning for Westchester County, reported
on the management plan the County and Army Corps has begun for the Saw
Mill River. The plan started as a capital improvement project centered
on creating the missing link of the bike trail. And while ecosystem
restoration is the focus, at the request of a Greenburgh resident,
flood control will be looked at as well. The plan is scheduled for
completion in 2006. The county will be deciding on strategy and
responsibilities in the next month or two. A kick-off meeting will
follow at which time the coalition will be invited to take part. Justin
asked if the scope of the study has already been defined and if other
issues can be brought up. Dave recommended that the coalition get its
concerns on record by writing him a letter with our comments and ideas
so that it can be on file and shown to the Army Corps. Rick requested
that the coalition be involved in the planning process, since we
reflect a good working group of parties in the watershed, and asked if
Dave could facilitate this. Other coalition members voiced concerns of
the Army Corps’ history in flood management; encouraged the county to
incorporate stormwater measures and retrofits; suggested that the
coalition can be helpful in community outreach on stormwater issues;
and encouraged signage for the trail. Dave said he would have more
information at our next meeting.
• Ron Gatto, Deputy Sheriff and
Director of Environmental Security for Westchester County who was
accompanied by officer Bob Pavone, reported on the work of the
relatively new department, his background, and of his patrol of the Saw
Mill River watershed. The department was created about a year and a
half ago by the County Executive, who Ron said feels that Westchester
should be
No. 1 in protecting the environment. Providing security for wastewater
treatment plants and protecting the rivers of the county are a large
part of Ron’s job. He works with environmental groups and does some
outreach to the community. He has been over the Saw Mill River by
helicopter and will follow-up on sightings that looked improper. He
said that coalition members should call him if they see something that
needs investigating. Carol will write a letter to the County Executive
thanking him for starting the environmental unit and in support of the
program.
• Rick Magder, executive director of Groundwork Yonkers,
sponsor of the coalition, reported on grants. HREP grant 2001: This
grant provided the initial funding for Carol’s position and calls for
expanding the coalition beyond Yonkers and throughout the watershed and
for developing an action plan. Carol and Joanne have created a rough
draft plan that is being worked on by committee. Rick said the
coalition is much stronger than it was a year ago. He said we would
hold meetings quarterly rather than bimonthly, beginning with our next
meeting. HREP grant 2003: The coalition has received this additional
grant through the estuary program to create an intermunicipal agreement
in the watershed. EPA grant: This grant is for creating a stormwater
monitoring program. Besides Saunders High students, we may get an
Americorps volunteer for four to eight weeks in the spring. The grant
provides some money for interns and for transportation as well. Carol
will convene a committee that will develop the methodology by the end
of February. To find more funding for the coalition’s work, members
suggested looking into corporate sponsorship and approaching United
Water, a drinking water supplier. Ray Curran, senior planner for Scenic
Hudson, and Justin Bloom, staff attorney for Riverkeeper, reported on
their adventure walking the underground section of the Saw Mill River,
a length of about one-third of a mile, from just above Chicken Island
to the river’s mouth at the Hudson River, in Yonkers. Ray and Justin
described their journey of what is known as The Flume. The discussion
was highlighted by pictures of the trip taken by Hudson River
photographer (and Carol’s husband) Joseph Squillante, who had
accompanied them. The walk was a “challenging voyage,” because of the
darkness, the rocky bottom, the rapidly flowing water, and the drop of
about 50 feet, half of that along the last 800 feet. Though they did
not note any illegal discharge pipes, they did see plenty of garbage.
Opportunities are ripe for public access, restoration, and improved
water quality. Joan Jennings said she has a PowerPoint presentation of
the river and Yonkers before 1922, the year the Army Corps built The
Flume.
• Ray Curran reported on his investigation of daylighting
possibilities of the Saw Mill River. He sees two sections as having the
most potential. — Chicken Island, site of the proposed stadium. Ray did
an analysis of the current plan and found that if the stadium was moved
10 feet and 2 degrees and if some of the retail was relocated, the site
could accommodate opening the river. He acknowledged that the project
is far along, but a developer has not yet been selected so the
possibility still exists. — Larkin Plaza, city owned property. This is
a good site for daylighting: No buildings are atop the area, just a
parking lot, and the new municipal lot can replace the lost parking
spots. Scott suggested that if it can be shown that daylighting would
increase habitat, DEC Hudson River habitat people would be interested.
Rick said to be more persuasive with the city’s administration, we need
to provide a summary of case studies from other cities that have had
success daylighting their rivers, such as San Antonio and Providence,
so that we can show the economic benefits. Joan will work with Ray on
the development of such a fact sheet. Lucille would like to see an
educational element about the Saw Mill River incorporated at the
site, making the stadium area viable year-round not just during the
baseball season. This could be an adjunct to the Philipse Manor Hall
program. Ray will let us know what the coalition can do to help the
daylighting project. It was agreed that nothing should be done until
after the November elections.
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
• Action plan:
In committee for further development. Carol will solicit specific
project ideas from members to be included in the plan.
• Logo: Design
has been put on hold until the group has decided on its name.
• Name change: Those present voted for their top three choices of the
submitted name candidates. Carol will collate the ballots and send the
top three choices to all coalition members for the final selection of a
name.
NEW BUSINESS: Allegra Dengler reported on the Village of Dobbs
Ferry’s plans to develop a DPW garage at the old Carvel site near the
Saw Mill River, along the parkway. The project, which has been sent out
to bid, would include the excavation of a significant portion of a
steep rock face. Justin submitted a FOIA request, which he will review.
The town did a negative declaration on an earlier EIS, but there is a
question on whether a new EIS should be done to include the larger
scope of the project. Riverkeeper is concerned about the impacts on
water quality, especially because of the steep slope and significant
acreage involved and because the activity of a garage is associated
with pollution. At the very minimum, Diane suggested that because of
the new stormwater regulations, Dobbs Ferry needs to be persuaded to
institute best practices, state of the art equipment, low impact
development, etc. to keep the river from being polluted. Carol will
draft a letter from the coalition to the Village of Dobbs Ferry listing
our concerns.
NEXT MEETING: End of January. Specific date to be announced.
