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boatingonthehudson.com
Spaces to enhance the business opportunities of the park
as well as provide support for public grants.
On December 15, 2010, Mayor Philip Amicone, Scenic
Hudson’s President, Ned Sullivan and Groundwork’s Ann-
Marie Mitroff led off with remarks about partnerships to
City, state and federal officials and local stakeholders at a
groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of a project to
uncover -- or “daylight” -- the historic Saw Mill River where
it flows through Larkin Plaza in downtown Yonkers.
After the groundbreaking, the work began in earnest. With
oversight from Jim Pinto and Jacobs Engineering’s Jay
Greene, ELQ Industries did amazing work and the park’s
new river path was opened to the Saw Mill River within
one-year! Water flowed into the park in November 2011
with a formal celebration with Mayor Amicone in December
2011.
The transition of power changed some personnel, but
did not change the support for the project. Under Mayor
Spano and his new redevelopment director (now Planning
Commissioner), Ms. Wilson
Kimball, the advantages of
the daylighting for the city
economically, has been very
positive. Full speed ahead—
Phase 2 & Phase 3!
On September 8th, 2012
the grand opening of Van Der
Donck Park under the name
of Riverfest 2012 officially
dedicated the first section that
was daylighted.
Weather wise the day turned
out to be very bad with severe
thunderstorms that led to the
cancellation of the event. Not
everyone got the message
and for some, the low turnout,
and lack of fanfare was a
disappointment, however the
developers and planners of the project did exactly what
was intended, created a tranquil, care free environment,
right in the heart of Yonkers. Since opening day of the new
park, pride, enthusiasm, volunteers and politicians have all
proclaimed that the concept is a game changer! It has set
an example for others to follow in cities worldwide.
While the opening of the Saw Mill River was a dramatic
change there were other changes as well, including X20,
Peter Kelly Restaurant, a local Yonkers Chef who developed
a world class restaurant, real estate developers and most
importantly the original partners that all compliment the
general direction of constantly improving what has changed
Yonkers into a dynamic showroom for city development.
Throughout the years, Groundwork Hudson Valley
engaged its local youth conservation corps in the effort,
brought The daylighting on the Saw Mill was highlighted in the
documentary feature film, Lost Rivers, which has been shown
throughout the world, featuring Ms. Mitroff and Jim Pinto. The
City has continued the project through the center of Yonkers,
completing phase II at Mill Street and is now on Phase 3 and
Phase 4. Groundwork continues to contribute by writing the
stories that appear in the interpretive signs at each location and
working with the Downtown BID on programming.
Most interesting about all these years of change is that Bob
Walters withstood the test of time and politicians, and to this day
has witnessed his original idea develop into reality beyond his
wildest dreams. BobWalters has been able towork on theHudson
River as Director of the Groundwork Hudson Valley’s Science
Barge, brought to the waterfront in 2008, and the development
re-birth of the Saw Mill River into a cleaner, interesting waterway
as it now runs openly through the downtown and empties into
the Hudson River.
It is the combination of Groundwork Hudson Valley, Scenic
Hudson and the Yonkers administration, in combination with vast
community support and engagement,
and with a single goal of bringing the
quality of the Saw Mill River itself
back to environmentally set standards
that makes this daylighting project so
unique.
Sometime the stars do align, events
happen, and people get together, time
allows for ideas to percolate, thinking
changes based on more information,
relationships grow, and a process
evolves. This allowed the creation of
and create a phenomenal project event
that dramatically changed forever their
dreams into reality.
CURB is located just north of the
Science Barge on the banks of the
Hudson River and includes a 4,000
sq ft center used for environmental
education, research, and community
programs. The building is situated on a 2 acre county-owned
park and features an accessible sandy beach and constructed
tidal marsh.
CURB annually delivers approximately 200 environmental
education programs focused on the Hudson River and urban
watersheds for 5,000 local K-12 and college students plus
hundreds of teachers, and hosts 3,000+ residents for community
programs and special events, most free and open to the public.
In addition to those programs, CURB research and monitoring
programs include include county-wide monitoring of sewage
contamination and water quality, river seining and the study of
biodiversity trends, participation in a state-wide study tracking
the migration patterns of the American eel, and long-term
tracking of real-time weather and river parameters.
In the Saw Mill, every other week in season CURB samples 16
Saratoga Associates, Landscape Architects,
Engineers, and Planners gave permission to use
the Original photo on Page 4.
The photo was “enhanced” to provide the
dramatic affect as shown.
Saratoga Associates won a number of awards for
their involvement in the design and development
of this project.
They received an Honor Award from the NY
Chapter of ASLA, a Project of the Year award in
the category of “hardscape/Urban Design and
Landscape” and a National Honor Award from the
National Waterfront Center in Washington, DC.