DAVIDS ISLAND CLEANUP GETS UNANIMOUS, BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE SUPPORT
MEDIA RELEASE: May 16, 2005
Contact: Judy Myers, (914) 995-7948
---Action taken today revitalizes County’s plan to purchase 78-acre island off the coast of New Rochelle---
Legislator Judy A. Myers (D-Mamaroneck), succeeded in revitalizing the County's plan to purchase Davids Island, the unique 78-acre island off the coast of New Rochelle. Myers secured the enthusiastic and unanimous support of the Parks, Environment and Budget Committees to commit the County to a state program to clean up the environmental problems on Davids Island.
Myers said that she would spend the next week, leading up to the full Board vote at its next meeting on May 23rd, to encourage all of her colleagues to throw their support behind the Act and Resolution signed out by the committees today.
After announcing its intention to purchase Davids Island as parkland in 2001, the County learned it would cost an estimated $12 million to do the environmental cleanup necessary before the County could take title. This revelation temporarily idled the project and put it on the back burner while the County searched for remediation funding sources.
“I am pleased to announce that we have found a way to take the necessary first step in making Davids Island a Westchester County park. We need answers that the State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) can provide,” Myers told her colleagues. “But, we need to move on this now. We’re not the only municipality asking for this available DEC grant money. Time is of the essence in getting this application out and acted on. Poughkeepsie alone has four applications pending.”
The Committees responded to Myers appeal to act with urgency, with a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
The source of funds for the cleanup is the state’s Environmental Restoration Program or ERP. Originally made available through the 1996 Clean Water Clean Air Bond Act, this grant program was designed to assist municipalities in cleaning up sites “where the municipal-owner is not the proximate cause of the contamination.” However, apparently, the application process was so riddled with technicalities that it was almost impossible for a municipality to satisfy the terms of the grant requirements. Rules were recently modified to make it possible to now apply for a grant for the Davids Island cleanup.
In thanking fellow Board members for their enthusiastic support, Myers said, “Your approval today to have the County participate in this grant program puts us a giant step closer to our goal of acquiring Davids Island as parkland. I believe this diamond of an island could easily be the single most important environmental initiative before us. Davids Island is important because the Long Island Sound is important. It is a unique natural resource with space for recreation, access to the Sound, scenic views and historic significance in a very populated part of Westchester County. One in ten of all Americans live within 50 miles of the Long Island Sound and the Sound’s boating, fishing and tourism pumps $5 billion into the regional economy.”
By the terms of the grant, the County must jointly apply with New Rochelle to participate in the remediation program. State funds will cover 90% of the costs of the investigative work, with the County and the City of New Rochelle sharing the remaining 10% of this cost. This amounts to a commitment of $60,000 by the County toward the investigation stage. Further, State grant funds will cover from 50-90% of the actual costs to clean up the site, as determined by the investigation and the County will share in a portion of the remediation costs as well.
Today’s action means that the County is making a firm commitment to participate in both the investigation and remediation stages of the cleanup of the Davids Island property.
