Where
Will We Play Tomorrow?
 Current public recreation is limited to the town park on Dug
Hill,
two ball parks, and the rail
trails. Residents either join private facilities or go
to other towns for park amenities. Neither the park or the
ball fields
are within walking distance of a population center.
Surveys
indicated no strong demand for additional park services at this
time.
There was strong support for extending the rail trail and improving opportunities
for safe bicycling.
Looking
forward, however, the committee foresees a need for at least
one additional ballpark and recreation space located closer
to
residential areas.
NYC
Landholdings - Let's Ask Them to Share the Resources
Much
of the open space in town is owned by NYC. We believe
that some of that land could be utilized for public recreation
without compromising water quality or reservoir security.
Photo
by Adam Riquier, with permission
Successful
negotiations with the NY city could help off-set long-standing
resident resentment of NYC while providing
additional recreational
opportunities at a low cost.
[Note:
a recent Freeman article quoted the NY City Commissioner, Department
of Environmental
Protection, saying DEP will make more land in the watershed
available for recreation. Update-
8/31/06: NYC DEP published notice today that they
have adopted new rules governing recreational use of water
supply lands
and waters. For details visit www.nyc.gov/watershedrecreation.]
Esopus
Creek - an Underdeveloped Resource
The
creek offers under-utilized recreational opportunities in boating
and swimming. Currently there is no public
access. There appears to be growing interest in negotiating
a boat landing.
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