suns along the Mohawk

Why Oppose a Dock in Riverside Park? Hundreds of residents of the Stockade believe the dock would be Bad for the Park, Bad for the Historic District and Neighborhood, and Bad for the City of Schenectady.  For a brief summary of my position, click this link (which brings you to a short statement near the bottom of this posting).  A 5-page Letter to the NYS Canal Corp., dated April 29, 2010, contains a more comprehensive discussion.

– you can share this posting by using this short URL: http://tinyurl.com/StopTheDock –  and see see our posting “Potential environmental effects of the Riverside Park dock” (Sept. 30, 2010).

– Above is the Mohawk River location of the proposed 300′ Riverside Park dock (which would be parallel to the bank).

There are many photos below of the now unobstructed views from that part of the Park, and from the many places in the Park where the scene will be adversely affected if a dock is installed – – as always, click on a photo for a larger version, and scroll over it for a description.

– original posting, April 18, 2010:

We interrupt this photo weblog for an urgent message . .

Riverside Park and its Stockade neighbors badly need your help and protection.  Pease click Help Stop the Dock for my letter-size, printable, one-pagepdf. flyer, which opposes placing a 300′ public dock at Schenectady’s Riverside Park, on the banks of the Mohawk River.  The flyer succinctly states the main reasons — beyond the City’s underhanded process —  for opposition to the dock. You can also see the flyer by scrolling down this posting.  It urges participation in the April 22 Stockade Association meeting, at 7 P.M., in First Reform Church parish center, 8 No. Church St.  [Note: As stated in the  update below, Stockade residents voted more than 2 to 1 against the proposed dock (85 to 41) at the April 22 meeting.]

All Stockade residents are welcome at the April 22 Meeting and may voice their opinions and ask questions of the City Planner (Steven Strichman) and Corporation Counsel (John VanNorden).  A vote by ballot will be taken of Association members, and a separate vote will be taken for non-members of the Association, so that their opinion will also be recorded.

– Click for a pdf. copy of the plat of Riverside Dock Construction Plan, which was included last month in the Planning Office’s draft Economic Assessment Form.  (Note: Because the City’s copy is so faint, I have outlined important items and relabeled them to make them legible.)

 update (Friday, April 23, 2010): Last night we finally had the long-anticipated Stockade Association meeting on the Riverside Park Dock, which opened with a presentation by City Zoning and Planning czar Steve Strichman (with quips now and then by Corporation Council, John VanNorden).  It ended with a poll taken of Association members, and a simultaneous one by me of non-members.  The Stockade residents voted more than 2 to 1 against the proposed dock. Here are the results:

. . . Do you support the City’s Dock Proposal? . Yes         No
___________________ Association Members: …….. 39         54
_________________________ Non-Members: …………. 2         31
_________________________ total: ………………….Yes: 41        No: 85

follow-up (June 19, 2010): Schenectady County presented its new Waterfront Revitalization Plan, on June 1, 2010, in a public meeting at the Central Library.  As we have been pointing out since early April, putting a dock in Riverside Park is clearly inconsistent with the Plan, which concludes that Riverside Park’s “limited access and parking . . . inhibits any significant expansion of use other than to improve it as a scenic overlook and to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access and connection to adjoining areas.” You can read the entire Plan by clicking here.  See my Comment to a Daily Gazette article (dated June 5, 2010) for a description of the Plan’s recommendations for Riverside Park.

Below are photos showing the current unobstructed view of the riverscape from the stretch of waterfront where the dock would be installed. Scroll down further for more photos, showing views of the riverbank from throughout the Park that will also be marred by the insertion of a large aluminum dock and any boats using the structure.

As always, click on a photo for a larger version, and scroll over it for a description.]  Below, you will also find a short summary of my position in opposition to the dock, and links to other important documents.

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– and, here’s a view of the Play Area (with homes close behind it) from the riverbank at what would be the eastern end of the proposed dock:

 [pre-poll] update (April 21, 2010): The Albany Times Union ran an article today headlined “Will dock plan sink in the Stockade?” (by Lauren Stanforth, April, 2010; photos by Paul Buckowski).  The article is fairly balanced, but clearly suggests to me that nothing the residents of the Stockade have to say will stop City Council President Gary McCarthy from forcing a dock on us in Riverside Park.   The article states:

 “City Council President Gary McCarthy said he wants to find a compromise, such as making the dock much shorter to limit outside boat traffic. Stockade Association members will meet Thursday to vote on the project. McCarthy said he’s interested in the results, but hopes residents understand the vote does not determine the fate of the project.”

Please urge the other Council members not to merely rubber-stamp the decision of their leader on this dock.  They must protect the Park and the neighborhood.   (scroll down for email addresses for Council and Mayor)

EMAIL Addresses: If you have something to tell them, here are email addresses for each of the members of the City Council and the Mayor:

Councilman Joseph Allen <jallen@schenectadyny.gov>
Councilwoman Barbara Blanchard <bjblanch@nycap.rr.com>
Councilman Mark Blanchfield <mblanchfield@schenectadyny.gov>

Councilman Carl Erikson <cerikson@schenectadyny.gov>
Councilwoman Denise Brucker  <dbrucker@schenectadyny.gov>
Councilman Thomas A. Della Sala <tdellasala@schenectadyny.gov>

Councilwoman Margaret King <pking@schenectadyny.gov> Councilman Gary McCarthy <gmccarthy@schenectadyny.gov>
Mayor Brian U. Stratton <mayor@nycap.rr.com>

More Dock-free views: photo supplement (April 29, 2010):

. . .  as always, click on a photo for a larger version, scroll over it for a description, . . .

. . looking East toward dock location:

. . .above: from Washington Ave dead end and the bank near Governors Lane . .

. .

. above: looking east from on & around the Overlook (at Pump House) .

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. . here’s the view from the site of the proposed dock:

– eastward view from the Emily Polachek memorial plaque near middle of the location of the proposed dock –

. . .

– looking west from the site of east end of the proposed dock  –

– looking east from the bank at the site of the east end of the proposed dock –

. . .

. .above: 8 AM view to the west [top] and east from the end of North St. . .

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