Monday, October 19, 2015

TONIGHT'S BD. MEETING; NOT SURPRISED; NO PUBLIC INPUT ON SUNSET PARK CHANGES

Many thanks to FELIZ QUINLAN for bringing this to everyone's attention: SUNSET PARK - A new playground contract for Sunset park is being awarded TONIGHT (Monday, 10/19) at the Croton Village Trustee Meeting. As far as I know, little to no feedback has been solicited from residents regarding the redesign of the park. The wooden structures will be replaced with plastic material similar to Duck Pond. If this is true, the park will lose its current charm and character that we have grown to know and love. Please 1) WRITE A LETTER to the mayor and Trustees and 2) ATTEND the meeting at 8pm tonight at the Municipal Building on Van Wyck tonight to voice your displeasure and ask for an opportunity to review the proposal and offer feedback. Once the contract is awarded, there will be no turning back without a great expense to the village. Let's get this right upfront.

Link to mayor and trustee contact info: http://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/…/crotonhudsonny_…/contacts
 
Here is a sample letter from concerned citizen, Jennifer Pifer. Feel free to copy and paste into the email that you send to the Trustees:

SUNSET PARK

A portion of my letter to the Mayor and Trustees. Feel free to use and or all of this for your own email: I am writing to urge you to vote, "NO" on Monday, 10/19 on authorizing the Village Manager to award the bid to Playpower LT Farmington, Inc. in the amount of $138,027 for new playground equipment at Sunset Park. I am aware that other members of our community have voiced their concern over the aesthetics of the proposal. I too am worried that the proposed structures will not blend as seamlessly into the neighborhood as the current playground does, and that the new structures will not be built with natural materials. Furthermore, I am disappointed in how difficult it has been to find any information about the proposed project.


After searching: all of the Village Newsletters for 2015, the Projects and Initiatives tab, the Recreation Brochure, Planning Board Minutes, links for the Village Manager and Recreation and Parks pages, the Mayor's corner and the "search" function on the Village website, I was unable to find any information regarding the proposed upgrades to Sunset Park (or for that matter the already completed updates to Duck Pond Playground). Based on how little is known about this plan, I urge Village Trustees to vote, "NO" and to actively solicit input from members of the community especially those who live along the loop surrounding the park so that the park is both up to code and maintains the "feel" of the park as we know it today.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
MEETING STARTS 8 PM, SECOND FLOOR, CHANNEL 78 ON CABLE
ALSO ON AGENDA-CHANGES TO ACCESSORY APT. LAW, & INTERESTING ENERGY LETTER FROM THE MAYOR AMONG ITEMS ON THE AGENDA http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2015/10/1019-bd-of-trustees-meeting-agenda.html

8 comments:

  1. It was tabled tonight. Unfortunate that as usual, you have to come in like gangbusters to get this board's attention.

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  2. Under the circumstances, I think everyone was very polite but it points to a bigger problem. Wouldn't you much rather have a board that actually consults the public and takes what they have to say into consideration BEFORE they do something and not just at election time. This is just one more reason why I wll be voting Croton United.

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  3. Frankly I thought the attitude of the board was a little snippy and want to thank Jenn Pfifer for her comments about no one being consulted. Tom

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  4. Thank you Feliz and Jenn. You guys are the greatest. It's hard working two job and with kids to stay on top of stuff like this!

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    1. I just received word that Yariv Alpher was instrumental in bringing this out as well.

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  5. Would it have been so difficult for the Village to write a letter to the Gazette informing citizens of proposed changes and asking for feedback? Or do you get the feeling that they anticipated some opposition and tried to get the playground changes done "under the radar"? Or that they never wanted citizens' input? This is all sounding too familiar, and personally, I'm really getting PO'ed.

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  6. Hi the bd. is now organizing a committee of parents and people from the area about this. Would have been nice if they did that first. What a difference an election year can make in some things.

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  7. with a "new"board a lot has changed. Especially when you put the village first instead of national politics. I love Croton United and I love the park. Here is some photos from its opening afew months ago http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/05/photo-album-sunset-park-officially-re.html

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