Open Birch Close Gate, Mr. Safian

Editor's Note: This is the letter was sent to Phelps Memorial Hospital CEO Keith Safian and published in the Sleepy Hollow Manor Association newsletter. Resident Tim Murphy also addressed the slate of would-be (and now elected) candidates at the open forum at Philipsburg Manor last week in this video attached. When he asked what the board might do about opening Birch Close Gate, Mayor Ken Wray responded that the village might now be a position to better leverage this longstanding request.

For over 60 years, generations of Manor residents had access to Rockefeller trails via Birch Close. In 1999, Phelps Hospital proposed the Kendal project. In the name of helping Phelps financially and providing a place for hundreds of seniors — the Village Board (then led by Mayor Zegarrelli) approved the clear cutting of 25 acres of riverfront forest, the loss 
of view sheds from both the Hudson and Historic James House, 
and the addition of a smelly sewage pipe running down Kingsland. The project also gained approval for the construction of a 595,000 square foot Mediterranean style complex (with no local features as originally promised) and what everyone understood to be a temporary closing of the Birch Close entrance to the park.

It’s been ten years and the Birch Close path remains “temporarily” closed, relegated to a vague status best described as “to be reopened at such time as the Village wants it reopened.” And instead of engaging in a respectful and earned dialogue, citizens and elected officials are being given the stiff arm by Phelps Hospital CEO, Mr. Safian. This posture and general position is especially irksome when we remember, Mr. Safian himself, along with Al DelBello, Andy Tung and the Kendal management, making numerous appearances at SEQRA, FEIS and Site Planning meetings, assuring us that we could trust Kendal, a Quaker organization with a long and storied history of love of community. They guaranteed us that residents would not be walled off from Rockwood Hall. These same gentlemen submitted site plans which clearly show a path from Birch Close into Kendal. Further, the Wetlands Permit from May 2002 insists on “pedestrian access over Kendal walkways.” The links were to be reopened at such time as the Village asked it to be reopened. But by the time the final site plan was submitted to the Village for approval, private meetings had taken place and the language enabling the reopening of the gate and path had been struck, with no public meetings held to highlight this major change. The matter, unbeknownst to us all, was settled.

For the past several years, the community has made it clear to
 Mr. Safian that they want the gate opened. Mr. Safian now has the chance to right a wrong done to a broad swath of the community. This includes residents of Kendal. “Two years ago, 175 residents
 of Kendal on Hudson signed a petition to the Mayor of Sleepy Hollow requesting that the gate from Kendal to the Manor be opened. Despite the fact that a strong majority of Kendal on Hudson was, and presumably still are, in favor of this move, the hospital President, Mr. Keith Safian, opposed it,” says Bill Lichten, long time Kendal resident and spokesperson for the residents.

Village officials, including the Mayor, want the gate opened
 and have told Mr. Safian exactly how they feel. Susan MacFarlane, Sleepy Hollow Trustee, told SHMA News, “We should encourage Phelps to reverse this error in judgment. I welcome, encourage and advocate for the reopening of the footpath.”

In a 2011 poll mailed to SHMA residents, 85% of respondents said “Yes, we want a footpath into the Park via Birch Close. “Not everybody takes cars everywhere. My mom walks to Phelps for her appointments and is forced to walk on a narrow dirt path along Route 9 and up Kendal Way, with no sidewalk. This is dangerous and I worry for her!” states Dawn Epstein of Evergreen Way.

Safety issues have been raised, but Mr. Safian knows that Sleepy Hollow already has park entrances in neighborhoods including Philipse Manor (Devries Park), Wilson Park (Douglas Park), and Pocantico (Rockefeller Park). All are without trash, are well patrolled, and according to Police records, are incident free. Sleepy Hollow Manor is the only exception.

The SHMA Board agrees with Village Trustee, Bruce Campbell, “Community pressure is what’s needed. An outpouring of sentiment from residents is hard to resist. Keep up the calls for opening Birch Close and it can happen,” says Campbell. If you feel strongly that the Birch Close entry should be re-opened then contact Keith Safian at Phelps Hospital at 914-366-3000. Or email him, attention
Mr. Safian, at pvonderheide@pmhc.us

And to Mr. Safian, we urge you to listen to the voices in your community. We expect you will do the right thing now, by serving those who have generously supported you so well over so many years. Please open the gate!

The effort has a Facebook group page, Open Birch Close Gate.

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