Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Fences and the River

Early in 2019, Amtrak withdrew its proposal to "erect fences blocking unofficial crossings to the Hudson River," but the idea seems to have returned. Last week, Scenic Hudson reported that "Amtrak has proposed constructing new fencing in locations between Rensselaer and Poughkeepsie where it currently does not exist." The concern is, as it was in 2018, that these barriers will eliminate public access at many points where people have connected with the river for generations.
In light of this persistent threat to river access, Scenic Hudson has engaged the consultant team of Peter Melewski, LLC to draft a Hudson River Access Plan to identify gaps in public access, recommend places for safe new shoreline access, and suggest ways to improve crossing the rail lines safely at existing locations. This coming weekend, Scenic Hudson is partnering with three riverfront communities--Castleton-on-Hudson, Germantown, and Rhinebeck--to host forums for local residents and river users to share information about where and how they currently access the river and to specify additional sites where they would like to connect with the river in the future. Members of the consultant team will lead the sessions to gather input to document public access and draft the comprehensive Hudson River Access Plan. The dates and times of the three meetings are:

 Castleton-on-Hudson (Rensselaer County)
Friday, January 3, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Fire Department Community Room, 11 Green Avenue   

 Germantown (Columbia County)
Saturday, January 4, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Kellner Activity Center, 50 Palantine Park Road

 Rhinebeck (Dutchess County)
Saturday, January 4, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Town Hall, 80 East Market Street
Although, according information received from Scenic Hudson, there are currently no plans to restrict river access at any locations in the city of Hudson, it is important that such sites as East Jesus and Sandy Beach to the south and the shacks at North Bay be included in the Hudson River Access Plan. For this reason, Hudson residents are encouraged to attend the forum in Germantown on Saturday.
Swimming at Sandy Beach in the 1910s
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK
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7 comments:

  1. unheimlichJanuary 1, 2020 at 11:34 AM

    It appears that Germantown has had deeded river access since the 19th c., but because the current owner of the deed who wields great power in Germantown also values his/her privacy, it's enough for everyone concerned to look the other way. The Germantown waterfront committee should complete the deed work, at least for posterity, but it's easier to organize protests against Amtrak (whom I'm in no way defending).

    In the city's North Bay, the shacks are on City land and will not be fenced off by Amtrak.

    In South Bay, residents will swim again at Sandy Beach as soon as the City regains the 4.4 acres. On the extant deed itself, the access road is identifed as "the public way," and the shared easement for the access road refers to pedestrian "ingress and egress."

    The big question is, will Hudson have legal counsel willing to do what's asked of them?

    Unfortunately (cf. LWRP) that's a rare thing nowadays when the legal establishment holds itsef in an almost aristocratic regard. (Never mind that in court they're wrong 50% of the time!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1RiparianJanuary 1, 2020 at 6:48 PM

    Twas post facto fencing that closed the fisherman's Wharf at North Dock.

    Luckily Hudson now has a legal staff large enough to balance the rights of Robert Torchia and Robert Kalin, as equal "owners" of shore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. unheimlichJanuary 1, 2020 at 9:34 PM

      Ha! I get it. You mean because NY state owns the land on the south side of Dock Street.

      Delete
    2. 1RiparianJanuary 2, 2020 at 8:00 AM

      With a public thoroughfare adjacent to the people's shore, the one armed man who mowed the lawn had just as much right to be there as HDC's billionaire client.

      Delete
    3. 1RiparianJanuary 2, 2020 at 10:47 AM

      As I told you on the island Labor day, there's a federal component to the Outboard Motor Fuel Tax...

      That post facto fencing was like this city's bill of attainder, prohibiting access to a federal waterway for residents who continue to pay explicitly for that very access.

      Years later the fence is removed, and a kayak launch apppears?

      The city needs 5 lawyers to explain (in federal court) where/who our Outboard Motor Fuel Tax (access) dollars are going to.

      Delete
  3. nick zachosJanuary 1, 2020 at 10:16 PM

    Where was the location of Sandy Beach?
    Was it possibly destroyed by the power lines?

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1RiparianJanuary 6, 2020 at 7:02 PM

    The minute any municipality takes possession of submersible shore, it's obliged to promote its use "to the fullest extent possible."

    Maximum citizen use with minimum taxpayer cost is the customary, prescribed use.

    That fence was HDC's attempt to do for Riverloft what "developer" Bruce Finn did for the Power Boat years ago, give away the "people's" shore.

    ReplyDelete

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