10 / 87
April 2018
10
Fresh Water Boats For Sale
People in the park.
developer—SFC (Streuver-Fidelco-Capelli)—was a critical
partner in helping set the stage, as their early underground
investigations played a crucial part in knowing what was
actually underground.
The group met over the course of a year to come up with
a list of opportunities and possibilities for a daylighted park.
Participants included people from state parks, Philipse Manor
Hall, the downtown BID, the Beczak, Greystone, the historical
society, businesses, high schools, and City staff from parks,
planning and, importantly, the City’s Waterfront Development
Director, Jim Pinto.
Then the Economic Downturn of 2008 happened. The River
Park Center development collapsed. The City reassessed
what was possible to do. They had money left from the state
(for daylighting). They had preliminary investigations of the
underground river. They “owned” as City property Larkin
Plaza. They needed an economic “win.” And, through all of
Groundwork’s community-engagement meetings, they had
broad community support.
The City of Yonkers, Mayor and City Council, were gutsy
enough in the middle of a downturn in the economy to risk
going forward with a daylighting project that committed City tax
funds even though some funding was ultimately reimbursed
(with grant funding) by state and federal funds.
Once the City decided it wanted to move ahead, they moved
with incredible speed. With Jim Pinto, the redevelopment
director at the helm, a bid went out for an engineering
design firm. PS&S won the bid and Joseph Fleming led
a masterful team in the engineering design. The brilliant
design left the underground river path in place to serve
as flood protection and created an entirely new river
path alongside. In 2013, PS & S won the New York State
Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) Outstanding
Engineering Achievement Award)
The City welcomed Groundwork’s role in providing
expertise in ecological design for the project. With funding
from the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control
Commission (NEIWPCC) the design now included the salt
water tidal basin, the fish ladder, native plantings along
the river’s edge, and specially designed passages for the
American eel to continue its migration up the Saw Mill
River.
PS&S’s landscape design firm, Saratoga Associates
used the information from Groundwork’s charrettes of what
would be welcomed by the community in the final design
specifically choosing natives that show year-round color
and interest..
Now the push was on to augment the City’s funding for
the project. Peter Boodell, a private citizen, offered support
and brought together a “Daylight Yonkers” business
stakeholder group. Working with Scenic Hudson and
Groundwork, the group worked with the Project for Public