Restoring and Enhancing a Local Treasure friends of High street park proposal

THE PARCEL THAT IS BORDERED BY HIGH STREET, PALISADE STREET, AND STATION PLAZA IS A GATEWAY TO TO DOBBS FERRY'S COMMERCIAL PAST -- WHICH WAS CENTERED AROUND ITS BUSY HUDSON RIVER DOCK.

"The parcel was owned for many years by Shadrach Taylor. For a number of years, he ran a hotel right near the old Ferry dock and next to train station. He sold the land to the Hudson Rail Road Company around 1850 and the Railroad owned the property for over 100 years. The New York Central Railroad Company sold the property to the Village of Dobbs Ferry in 1961."

- Charles L. Kerr, Co-Chair of the Greater Irvington Land Trust

Up to the early 1990s, the parcel was well-tended. Long-time residents remember the daffodils, playing there, and watching the fireworks from the upper portion.

"THE PEOPLE'S VIEW"

The view over the parcel, from Palisade Street, is spectacular. Many pedestrians stop and watch the sunset and take photos.

THE PARCEL IS STILL THE GATEWAY TO DOBBS FERRY--IT'S THE FIRST THING HUNDREDS OF COMMUTERS SEE WHEN THEY ARRIVE BY TRAIN. BUT IT NEEDS OUR HELP.

RESIDENTS WANT TO WORK WITH THE VILLAGE OF DOBBS FERRY'S NEW ADOPT-A-PARK PROGRAM TO ASSIST IN THE ENHANCEMENT, UPKEEP, AND PRESERVATION OF THIS PARCEL THROUGH VOLUNTEER LABOR, HELPING TO RAISE FUNDS, AND ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTISE.

The proposed Friends Group has already met and reached out to experts for best practices moving forward.

COMMUNITY ALLIES: Sustainable Dobbs Ferry | Dobbs Ferry Garden Club | Dobbs Ferry Historic District | Dobbs Ferry Conservation Advisory Board | Rivertowns Permaculture (Roots & Wings)

LOCAL AND REGIONAL ALLIES: Pollinator Pathway Project | Westchester Land Trust | Irvington Land Trust

We consulted with Cathy Ludden, Greenburgh Nature Center; Karalyn Lamb, Native Plant Center Steering Committee; Jacqui Bergonzi, Native Plant Center; and Jay Archer, GreenJay Landscaping; to compile an initial list of recommended native plants for this particular site.

A PROPOSED PLAN

The Village has already removed trees (2017), brought in goats to clear invasive undergrowth (2017, 2018), and removed saplings on the south end (2019). We would like to add our energy and voice to help build on this work.

1. AN IMMEDIATE FIRST STEP: THE SOUTH END OF THIS PARCEL NEEDS EROSION CONTROL.

Recommendation from experts consulted with: Maintain the daylilies. Rather than planting pachysandra and juniper, opt for switchgrass, a native grass, as well as goldenrod and wild bergamot as anchor plants.

"Switchgrasses (Panicum spp) are beautiful, tough native grasses that would stabilize a slope. They are host plants for skipper butterflies and provide seeds and cover for birds as well as nesting sites for bees. They have thrived in cinder soil next to the train tracks - even endured being submerged in 4 feet of water after Hurricane Sandy. They are very effective planted in groups."

- Karalyn Lamb, Native Plant Center Steering Committee

Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) | Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) - a hardy flowering plant that tends to self sow and spread. It grows very naturally with goldenrod and switch grass.

"The goldenrod and wild bergamot will not just politely stay where you put them. They will act like meadow plants and spread into whatever area they can find, which is perfect for an area that requires little maintenance."

- Cathy Ludden, member of the Garden Club of Irvington and president of the Greenburgh Nature Center’s board of directors, where she spear-headed a Native Wildflower Meadow

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE BEHIND REPLANTING THE PARCEL IS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE POLLINATOR PATHWAY PROJECT.

The Pollinator Pathways project has taken hold in Irvington as well as in over 27 towns in CT and NY and the list keeps growing.

Other recommended native plants for this particular site. They are also recommended by the Pollinator Pathways project.

BUSHES: Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) - Tough, urban tolerant - beautiful spring flowers important early pollinator forage. Berries attract many bird species. | Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) - These are tough, colonizing shrubs that provide cover and berries for birds. | Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro Low') - small shrub with great fall color that is often used for slope stabilization - a parking lot shrub. Planted in a mass it spreads into a dense, weed-suppressing mat. Would benefit pollinators as a nectar source and is host plant to hairstreak butterflies. | Bluestar (amsonia tabernamontana) - It makes nice clumps about 3 feet tall that look great all summer, bloom in spring, and seem to require nothing.

GROUNDCOVERS: blue wood aster (symphytrichum cordifolium) | Clustered mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenufolium)

IN ADDITION, IN SUMMER 2019, WE WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE THE REDESIGNATION OF THE PARCEL AS A PARK FOR ITS PROTECTION IN PERPETUITY AND FOR EASE IN APPLYING FOR GRANTS.

CHALLENGES:

"The parcel is situated in a CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AREA generally west of Broadway along the Hudson. The parcel is traversed by a 39” diameter Westchester County sewer main and is classified as a steep slope property requiring significant storm water management. These observations alone may trigger an Environmental Assessment (EAF) at the County, and possibly the State level due to the County sewer easement and the parcel’s proximity to the Hudson River."

- Neil H. de Pasquale, Dobbs Ferry Conservation Advisory Board Acting Chair, in a letter written to Mayor Hartley Connett in 2015

2019-2020 and beyond: The Friends Group would speak to residents and environmental groups, gather support for restoring and enhancing this visible and important land, apply for grants, and work with a landscape designer and the village to create a plan for the rest of the park.