January 13, 2017 by The Rye City Review

RyeCity REVIEW THE

January 13, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 2 | www.ryecityreview.com

Rye Town Park: Millions needed in repairs

A NEW YEAR

By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer

Katie Popp drives into the lane against Harrison on Jan. 10. Popp and the Garnets buried the Huskies 55-37 to win their third straight game this month. For more, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith

City Council expected to delay Crown Castle decision again A decision on the divisive proposal from telecom contractor Crown Castle will be extended yet again, according to Councilwoman Danielle TaggerEpstein, a Democrat. While previously a decision had been slated for a City Council meeting this week, after press time, according to TaggerEpstein, a final determination on both the project and whether or not it will require an Environmental Impact Statement, EIS, will be delayed until Jan. 25. City Attorney Kristen Wilson has previously stated that she will recommend to the council that the project be classified as “unlisted” under State Environmental Quality Review Act, SEQR,

which would make the requirement for an EIS more likely, and, as a result, place the proposal under a much more stringent, and lengthy, review process. The city convened a special meeting—in a confidential executive session—with its outside counsel on the subject of Crown Castle on Jan. 3. On multiple occasions, members of the City Council, as well as Wilson, have alluded to the possible threat of legal action from Crown Castle if the city attempts to block the project. At a Jan. 11 City Council meeting, after press time, consultants hired by the city over the summer were expected to give presentations to both the council

and Rye residents on just how the project may impact them. Specifically, Crown Castle, who is being contracted by Verizon Wireless, looks to install more than 60 nodes—wireless signal-emitting equipment— across telephone poles and streetlights citywide, in an effort to bolster the area’s cell service. Residents have criticized the proposal from Crown Castle for failing to show actual proof of need and also for having potentially adverse effects on property values. In an email sent out this week to current and former elected officials as well as concerned residents, opponents of the project urged all parties to attend the

Jan. 11 meeting, rallying against Crown Castle. An online petition objecting to Crown Castle’s plan has currently garnered about 850 signatures as of press time. A group of concerned residents also hired its own consultants in November to conduct a separate analysis of Crown Castle’s proposal. As a result, the residents’ consultants submitted their own proposal to the City Council which would replace the more than 60 nodes in Crown Castle’s plan with 10 much larger poles located primarily away from residences. That plan has also been sent to Crown Castle for its review. –Reporting by James Pero

While the Rye Town Park Commission is overcoming the exit of Seaside Johnnies restaurant and although the park managed to accumulate a surplus in revenue two years in a row, its crumbling infrastructure is now emerging as a relevant matter. According to Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman, a Democrat and president of the park commission, there is currently no course of action laid out to address the desperate need for capital improvements at the park, which has been around since the early 1900s. “There are some things we know we have to do, but we really have to wait and see,” he said. Zuckerman said, although there is currently no estimate for the cost of the overall scope of necessary repairs, and while conversations about which repairs will be prioritized haven’t even begun, there are a number of “obvious” capital improvements that need to be addressed. Further, he told the Review that the commission will need to find a way to restore the park’s bathhouse and bathrooms, which need roof construction, as well as the outdoor shower facilities. Zuckerman said construction for the park’s century-old administrative building could cost as much as $10 million. “For a long time, we’ve been talking about making the mid-beach

ramp handicap accessible, too,” he said. The park, which overlooks Oakland Beach and the Long Island Sound—it’s located at 95 Dearborn Ave., off of Forest Avenue in the city of Rye—includes several pavilions, a duck pond, a restaurant and snack and concession stands, and a number of service facilities. Over the last two years, the park has accumulated a revenue surplus of nearly $430,000, which could potentially be used to fund some capital improvements. However, it’s likely the park will forego any surplus for 2017 without any viable candidate to replace Seaside Johnnies, which discontinued its restaurant operation at the park for the upcoming season. As a result, the commission will be forced to use its surplus to fund any potential operating deficit as a result of that vacancy. Zuckerman said while there is currently no plan to fund the needed capital improvements, the commission was recently selected for a nationally competitive program from New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Capstone program, which will serve as consultants to the park. “We hope with Capstone, they gather enough information to help us determine what we want the park to be and what facilities need repairs first; then we will REPAIRS continued on page 9