progress report saw mill river cleanup...walk over hudson is amazing

PROGRESS REPORT--SAW MILL RIVER CLEAN UP
During the past few weeks the Greenburgh Public Works Department, working with the village of Elmsford, have spent about 640 man hours removing debris on the Saw Mill River. We estimate that we will be spending about 360 more hours. We have removed about 10 trucks of debris on the river--expect to pick up 3 or 4 more truck loads. We found lots of plastics, bottles, styrofoam, two oil tanks, some tires in the river--all have been picked up.
It's a slow process. We have cleared debris from only about 1/2 a mile so far. Have another 1/2 mile to go. We started near the Elmsford Little League ballfield, just south of Babbitt Court and have tracked south down the river. We are now working near the I-87/Saw Mill River Parkway interchange.
Our costs? About $18,500 in labor costs. Probably another $10,000 to complete. And, about $5,000 in disposal costs. We are seeking reimbursement from FEMA.
We need to be more proactive --and hope other communities along the river will also take similar proactive measures. THe village of Hastings has already contacted me--expressing interest in clearing debris in Hastings.
The clean up that we have initiated won't solve the flooding problem. Hopefully, it will help. After the next storm we will be able to assess how helpful our work has been.

WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON WALK TODAY WAS AMAZING!
Spent two hours with Fred Schaeffer, founder of Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie--walking across the bridge over the Hudson. About 8,000 other people walked over the bridge today. 600,000 people enjoy the bridge every year! An amazing walk with incredible views of the Hudson and the fall foliage. I strongly encourage those who are interested in the new proposal to turn the old TZ bridge into a tappan park bridge (suburban version of the high line) to take a walk over the bridge.
It's amazing. Next steps to turn old TZ bridge into a TZ bridge park or high line:
1) Scoping session--Doubletree Hotel, Tarrytown Tuesday from 4- 9 PM. Officials will provide more details on new bridge. Please attend.
2) November 16th--meeting Greenburgh Town Hall cafeteria. Forming new committee to persuade state officials to save the old TZ bridge and create a bridge park.
3) Need to encourage state officials to conduct an engineering study to determine costs/feasibility of saving bridge.
FROM THE NYS PARKS WEBSITE--take a virtual tour of the bridge
Home : State Parks : Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park
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In 1888, the 6767-foot long bridge was the longest in the world. On October 3, 2009 Governor David A. Paterson opened the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park as a legacy project of the Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial. The park provides access to the Hudson River's breathtaking landscape for pedestrians, hikers, joggers, bicyclists, and people with disabilities. The bridge deck stands 212 feet above the river's surface and is 6,678 feet (1.28 miles) long, making it the longest, elevated pedestrian bridge in the world.

The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge was built in the late 19th century to link New York and New England to an extensive, nationwide railway network. For decades, it was a major rail corridor for both freight and passengers.

After a fire in 1974, the bridge was abandoned and sat for decades as an oprhaned relic. This brand new park was made possible due to the unwavering commitment of the community, who, through a non-profit organization called Walkway Over the Hudson, forged a public private partnership involving the State of New York, the federal government, neighboring municipalities, private corporations and other not for profit groups. The amazing result of this wonderful partnership is a brand new state park, now open for all to enjoy. Take the Virtual Tour!

The park offers interpretive signs and a Talkway Over the Walkway cell phone tour.

Reminders:

The park closes at sunset, visit sunrisesunset.com to plan your trip.

The Golden Park Pass does not apply at this park. PAUL FEINER




DIRECTIONS
Take Taconic Pkwy to Rt. 55W - go west on Rt. 55 about 8.2 miles, staying in right lane as you get close and watch for tourist sign for the Walkway - signs will direct you straight when Rt. 55 (which is now also Rt. 44) curves to the left. Follow signs which will have you turning right onto Columbia Street - going through two traffic lights and then right turn onto Parker Ave. There are two parking lots on the left (one private and one Walkway lot) - both are $5 or just beyond lots turn right on Garden St., right on Brookside Ave. Brookside has a 1/2 mile of free on street parking