Waterfront project plans,
vegetation loss questioned
SOUTH RIVER –– Though the plan for developing a waterfront park along the South River remains in its conceptual stage, the chairman of the borough’s Shade Tree Commission is questioning the ideas.
The project includes plans for a 1.3-mile river walk and a 1.4-mile bike path/pedestrian walkway, both of which will begin at Ivan Way and run north to Whitehead Avenue, opposite Yates Avenue. The river walk will connect to this trail near the existing South River Boat Club and run south along the South River, connecting again with the path and walkway near the Department of Public Works building.
Mayor Robert Szegeti said that along with the walkways, officials are planning to develop athletic fields on the waterfront property for public use.
In November, Shade Tree Commission Chairman Michael Clancy sent a letter to the mayor and Borough Council that criticized the proposal for the waterfront property and questioned the current upkeep of the borough’s parks.
Clancy, a commission member and Zoning Board of Adjustment member since 1999, said he is concerned that the borough’s current parks are not being maintained well. Although the borough may receive grant funds to aid with waterfront improvements, he said he is worried that the funds will not cover the maintenance costs in the future.
"Parks take a lot of manpower," Clancy said.
At a council meeting held Dec. 27, Szegeti said the borough would like to expand on the number of services that outside landscaping companies have recently been hired to do at the parks.
"You shouldn’t be expanding infrastructures when your current structures are suffering," Clancy said.
Although the proposed walkway and bicycle trails included in the waterfront plans will be built along existing railroad tracks, Clancy said he is concerned about the amount of vegetation he believes could be removed during the construction of the walkways. There are also areas where the walkways are proposed to run that do not have railroad tracks in place, Clancy said. He said he believes that the proposed paths could use some bending or twisting to avoid cutting too much vegetation. However, clearing of the land for the athletic fields is still a concern, Clancy said.
"I’d like to leave it as it is in its natural form," Clancy said.
In the letter to the council, Clancy said the area along the South River is a natural feeding ground for migratory birds. He also said a study done by the engineers who worked on the Heritage Woods development found several bird species, gray squirrels, raccoons and white-tailed deer to be present in the area by the waterfront.
In addition to the concerns about the natural inhabitants of the waterfront, Clancy said he is also worried that the athletic fields will be located too close to the water, causing a potential problem. In addition, the grasses located along the waterfront could be a fire hazard if people behave carelessly, Clancy said.
Szegeti said the borough’s planner, Thomas Sheehan, and engineer, Bruce Koch, are very conscientious about protecting the environment and trees.
"We’re going to try to keep it as natural as we can," Szegeti said of the waterfront property.
Though the council plans to build some athletic fields on the property, trees will be left as a buffer between the fields and nearby homes, Szegeti said.
Council President David Sliker said this week that any clear-cutting would be done mainly to underbrush-type vegetation. Anything else that needed to be removed would be replaced, he said.
Furthermore, Sliker said, the pedestrian walkway is planned to be a nature trail. These paths will allow residents to enjoy the ecology along the waterfront and in the marsh areas, Sliker said.
The council has applied for an estimated $3.5 million grant through the state Department of Transportation as part of the state’s Transportation Enhancement Act to aid in the cost of the river walk. The borough should know by this fall if the state will approve the grant application and what amount it will be, Sliker said.