Parking area for overlook panned

David Hulse
Posted 8/21/12

GLEN SPEY, NY — Lumberland plans for a Pond Eddy parking lot serving a scenic river overlook apparently ended on July 8.

With at least one member not sold on the idea, the town board was …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Parking area for overlook panned

Posted

GLEN SPEY, NY — Lumberland plans for a Pond Eddy parking lot serving a scenic river overlook apparently ended on July 8.

With at least one member not sold on the idea, the town board was considering a grant application to fund an appraisal for property adjoining the Mill Brook Inn, which could either be acquired in fee or under an easement.

For more than a year, Councilman James Akt has been pressing for the purchase of a paver for the highway department. “We should be looking at the paver,” Akt said when the grant application was discussed. “This is just going to be a lot for more garbage,” he said.

Councilwoman Jenny Mellan asked why the town was getting the property appraised, when they still didn’t know if it was available.

The overlook was to be sited across State Route 97 on the remaining New York abutment of the 1904 bridge, after the completion of a new downstream bridge and demolition of the existing structure. Pennsylvania’s construction of the new bridge is expected to begin in 2016, and last through 2018.

Supervisor Nadia Rajsz had proposed the overlook when the town learned that the New York construction access for the new bridge was not going to be available for a planned river-rest site. “That’ll never happen,” Rajsz said of the river-rest plan, adding that without the grant there would be no property for parking.

However, things went sour when the board learned that PennDOT did not plan to retain the old abutment after demolition of the old bridge. By chance, Upper Delaware National Park Service (NPS) Superintendent Kristina Heister was in attendance after speaking about NPS plans and programs in the area.

During the board’s grant discussion, Heister said she had just attended a meeting with PennDOT officials, who had decided not to leave the abutment. “It was a question of who maintains it. PennDOT does not want to maintain a freestanding wall,” she said.

With the object of the plan gone, there was little left to discuss and the grant motion was defeated by 0-5 vote.

Among other business, the board made use of a newly installed sound system for the hall; tabled for further discussion a zoning amendment to allow horse stables in all town zoning districts; discussed the need for a registered nurse to be available for dispensing allergy-related and other medicines to children in a summer youth program; heard Linda Hazen report that the town park committee is seeking volunteers at Circle Park; heard Caroline Akt suggest that the board consider adopting a “zombie house” law, similar to one in use in Port Jervis to encourage maintenance of boarded-up homes; agreed to advertise for bids for the painting of the town hall exterior and staining of the adjoining picnic pavilion; and accepted a $1,000 donation from Orange & Rockland Utilities.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here