Message from the Mayor: Proposed Anchorage Grounds on Hudson River
Posted on: August 16, 2016 - 11:02pm
Fellow Residents;
I am reaching out with an update on a recent development that could impact us all and asking for action on your part.
The Coast Guard is requesting comment on a proposal to establish what amounts to parking spots in the Hudson River stretching from Yonkers through Hastings and Dobbs Ferry, providing 15 berths where barges and freight ships can anchor for long periods of time. The proposed spots are evenly spaced every 1200 feet up the middle of the Hudson River and would likely be used by freighters, especially fuel oil barges. Between seven and eight of these berths will be right in front of Hastings. (The proposal also includes berths further up the Hudson, but this anchorage ground is the one that most directly affects us.)
It's a pernicious idea on any number of levels, from disruption of views, to impact on the river bottom and sea life, to impact on watercraft seeking to navigate the Hudson, and finally (and certainly not least) a significant safety issue magnified by the fact that remediation of the river bottom by BP along the waterfront will commence in a year or two and will involve its own heavy equipment located in the river. This introduces a real risk of collisions and fuel oil spills that would befoul the very waters and shoreline we are seeking to finally have cleaned.
As a village, we have carried the burden of the former industrialization of our waterfront for decades through the loss of use, taxes, and access - and only now face the prospect of seeing it returned to a usable condition. It is ironic - and horrifying - that the actual waters themselves could land up serving as an industrial parking zone just as we are beginning to see restoration of our waterfront. Needless to say, we would not be compensated in any way, whether through berthing fees or any other form of recompense, for this use. We get nothing. We lose a remarkable view. Boaters would need to thread around these giants. And we may lose quite a bit more if there is an accident or spill.
The Board of Trustees will be reviewing passage of a resolution next Tuesday against this proposal. We are also reaching out to our congressmen, senators, assemblymen and state senators to lodge our concern. We have joined with Dobbs Ferry, Yonkers, Irvington, the Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson and other groups to fight this. And here is where I ask for your help. If you share my sentiment that this is a terrible, potentially catastrophic idea, please click here and tell the Coast Guard of your concerns. You can read the official document about this proposal (including the memos from the shipping firms lobbying for this) here. The Riverkeeper has an excellent page on this topic here. The more voices raised, the better. Leaving your comment will take you five minutes. The more responses the Coast Guard has, the more it has to consider. Please do this now before you forget. (Comment period closes September 7th.) It's very important. It would be tragic if one day we have a park on the waterfront with a spectacular view of, um, a line of oil barges stretching before us in both directions.
Thank you for taking action on behalf of the Village and our collective future,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor