MAISANO LOBBIES CONGRESS FOR FEDERAL FUNDING TO CLEANUP
DAVIDS ISLAND
Legislator Maisano urges US Senate to approve $5 million in additional funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 9, 2005
Contact Jim Maisano, Tel: 914.9952826, Maisano@westchesterlegislators.com
New Rochelle, NY - County Legislator Jim Maisano (R, New Rochelle) today urged Congress to pass bill H.R. 2863. The bill is heading to the floor of the US Senate for a vote and has already passed the House of Representatives. The bill would assist in the revitalization of Davids Island by allocating $5 million in federal funding for the necessary environmental cleanup project.
Legislator Maisano stated, “Today, I sent correspondence to my fellow Republicans, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, urging them to pass bill H.R. 2863, while retaining the $5 million currently included in the bill to assist in the cleanup of Davids Island. This critical funding will bring us much closer to our goal of turning Davids Island into a County Park. I appreciate the fine efforts of Congresswoman Nita Lowey who has worked so diligently to get this funding placed into H.R. 2863. I advised these congressional leaders that I would be happy to go to Washington, DC to discuss the Davids Island issue in greater detail.”
Davids Island is located in Maisano’s district and is ¼ of a mile off the coast of New Rochelle in the Long Island Sound. It was used as a federal military base until 1967. After years of neglect and a number of rejected development proposals, the County is taking steps to turn the island into parkland. It is 78 acres of undeveloped land and an excellent location for open space preservation and public access to the Sound. However, the environmental hazards remaining from the military use must be removed before Davids Island can be used by county residents for recreational purposes.
“I have always advocated for parkland on Davids Island,” said Legislator Maisano. “Over 90% of Long Island Sound’s coastline is developed and closed to the public. Davids Island could offer Westchester residents 78 acres of waterfront open space to enjoy. We must now work together in a bipartisan manner to secure the funding to eliminate existing environmental hazards.”
Environmental consultants and the Army Corp of Engineers have estimated that it may take between $12 million and $17 million to remediate contaminates, remove unsafe structures, cleanup deteriorating equipment and address years of neglect suffered by the island.
Legislator Maisano continued, “Davids Island is a beautiful natural resource that should be protected as open space and enjoyed by Westchester residents for the centuries to come.”
Through Legislator Maisano’s leadership, the Westchester County government has also been working with the City of New Rochelle to jointly apply for funding from New York State to help with the cleanup costs, and it is hoped that the combined federal and state funding will fully pay for the cost of the cleanup.
