Park Plan Recommends Facility, Parking, Drainage Improvements

Katonah residents could see many improvements made to their neighborhood park including new paddle tennis courts, new swings at the pool playground, extended nature trails and a rehabbed Rasor Field, if the master plan now in draft form is adopted by the town.

The plan also proposes such traffic improvements as a drop-off loop near the pool and a sidewalk and seasonal speed bumps on North Street, and addresses stormwater runoff and drainage issues from the tennis courts and fields.

Almost $900,000 in improvements to be made over 10-15 years were recommended in the plan, now posted to town's website. Parks Superintendent William Heidepriem said wherever possible renovations would be done in-house, time permitting, and other large scale projects—such as the pool electrical system repair, now under consideration by the town board—would be consider capital projects, paid for by bonds.

The process for evaluating local needs with respect to the park when the town board engaged The Chazen Companies to review the park and its uses. The parks department and the consulting firm co-hosted a , followed by the firm's study of the park over several seasons of activity.

The draft master plan is now ready for a public presentation to take place March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the

The plan does not propose major developments—rather, it's a series of smaller projects to tackle over a number of years, said Heidepriem.

"We've already had some favorable comments and from others, some concerns," he said. "People who play tennis and use the playground may be pleased; if you neighbor an area that is proposed for access you may have questions."

For example, the plan proposes that Wildwood Road be re-opened to one-way seasonal access on a trial basis when summer camp is in session, which could improve park circulation. Residents at were concerned that the re-opening the road, closed since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, would cause more runoff and potential damage to nearby homes. 

Stuart Mesinger, director of municipal services for Chazen, said they would monitor road conditions during the trial period. "The tests would tell us whether any destabilization is occurring. If so, the road could be further improved or closed," he said. "Wildwood Road was substantially improved after Hurricane Floyd and now has a robust drainage system designed to handle high rainfall events. The system functioned well during last fall’s heavy rains."

The plan also calls for incorporating the nine-acre Zema property into the Katonah Memorial Park and managing all 55 acres together.

Heidepriem said he was pleased with the process and overall outcome.

"What we found out is that, overall people like the park's amenities and want to preserve it the way it is," he said. "I'm also happy that residents are pleased with the park maintenance and value the property."

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