Residents Have Their Say on Katonah Park Plans

How safe is it for residents to walk up North Street to get to the Katonah Memorial Park? Not safe enough, said more than a few residents of Katonah, to the committee creating a master plan for the park and the adjacent Zema property owned by the town.

 “It’s especially dangerous when cars are driving down the street,” said Frank Greene, a Ridge Street resident. He suggested that the town purchase an empty parcel on High Street to make a path for walkers and strollers to get to the park safely. Carol Kiley Vogler, a 74-year Katonah resident who lives on North Street, echoed his concerns.

“I live downhill from the park, and the traffic is scary. We counted 52 cars driving out of the park after a swim meet last summer—we need an better inlet and an outlet from the park.”

About 35 people gathered in the Katonah Village Library Wednesday night to offer their thoughts on the planning process for the Katonah Memorial Park. Supervisor Lee Roberts, a 40-year Katonah resident, welcomed Brian Mcabe, who gave an overview of the plan development, which is expected to take until November.

The meeting was led by Stuart Mesinger, director of municipal services for The Chazen Companies, the landscape architecture and environmental consulting firm selected by the town to review the park and its uses.

“The good news is, the issues that came up last night have been brought up in our other neighborhood meetings—there is a common understanding here of what people like and what people want to improve upon in their park,” he told Patch Thursday.

What people like is the trails, the natural beauty and the lack of cars driving in the park.

“We like our closed community and want to keep that intact, by minimizing outside traffic and preserving wetlands,” aid Paul Acosta, a Meadow Lane resident. To that end, several residents suggested adding interpretive elements to existing trails, much like a nature center would have stations along walking routes informing hikers about their surroundings.

Acosta also asked if the Zema property could be looked at as an extension of the park’s trail system—a point that had been raised before, said Mesinger. “There are elements on the Zema property—a vernal pool, to name one—that have ecological value. Trails would be a low-impact addition we could look at,” he said. Multiple residents asked about marking a cross-country ski trail separate from walking trails, which could require widening the existing paths.

Drainage issues emerged as the major enhancement to address in the master plan. Residents who remember the 17 inches of rain dumped on the town by Hurricane Floyd in 1999—and the flooded basements and damaged homes caused by park runoff—were emphatic about solving problems.

“Wildwood Road has been closed since Floyd,” said Marty Kravet. “I do not want Wildwood open to traffic. That would have an impact on everyone downhill from there.”

Other suggestions included planting a community garden on the Zema property, fixing up the steps near the tennis courts and lengthening the play area near the tennis practice wall, adding swings to the main playground, increasing signage about keeping dogs on leashes and cleaning up camp facilities.

Greene also stated a need for increased park programming, around the "gorgeous tennis courts that are underused," while also suggesting the Katonah 5K be resurrected with the park being used as race headquarters.

The master plan development is in broken out into six phases, said Mesinger, and will wrap up with Chazen Companies making recommendations in late fall.

In addition to the outreach the steering committee is currently doing, the firm will study the park in all conditions and seasons, create an issues and goals list, identify issues to address and analyze, draft a plan and present it to the community for feedback prior to finalizing a master plan.         

"Our goals are not to develop the park," said Mesinger. "We want to prioritize projects, and develop a plan with implementability."

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