A New Public/Private Partnership: The Harbor Island Conservancy
Makes its Debut
by Alice Bloom, Producer & Host of TV Show A
Town…and
Village Two
(December 8, 2003) As the host of A Town…and
Village Two, I get to meet many of the people
who contribute their time
and
talents
to enhancing our communities. I also learn about ventures
in their early stages of creation – projects that,
years hence, become relied-upon pillars of our town and two
villages.
 In this last episode of my bi-weekly show, my guests were
Paul Noto, former mayor of the Village of Mamaroneck and
former
county
legislator,
and John Zapalla, former Hommocks science teacher with an
ongoing commitment to environmental education.
Both John and Paul are now members of the board of directors
of the newly formed Harbor Island Conservancy (“the
Conservancy").
The Conservancy is a recently incorporated not-for-profit
corporation devoted to assisting the Village of Mamaroneck
and its citizens to enhance and maintain the 44-acre
Harbor Island Park. Over in Larchmont, the Flint Park Conservancy
plays a similar role. As in the Town of Mamaroneck and Village
of Larchmont, there is tremendous competition for the use
of parkland in the Village of Mamaroneck.
Harbor Island Master Plan Committee
(back) Peter Agliardo, Carl
Alterman, Host, Alice Bloom; (front) Tom Murphy, George Schieferdecker |
In the Village’s last restoration of the park in the
early and mid-1990’s, playing fields were restored
and parking lots and roadways reconfigured. Concerns regarding
accessibility of the Village’s public boat ramp were
addressed. The issue of moving tennis courts was raised and
abandoned. The resulting renovation has had mixed reviews
and this year the Village seated a Harbor Island Master Plan
Committee to develop a new plan. The report of that Committee
was presented to the Board of Trustees and the public recently.
It recommends, among other things, another re-thinking of
playing fields, boat ramps, roadways and parking as well
as a definitive move of the tennis courts to a site behind
the waste treatment plant, opening a vista to Long Island
Sound. While this plan has not been priced yet, the Harbor Island
Conservancy will devote economic energy toward seeing the
implementation of significant improvements to Harbor Island
and to maintaining existing and subsequent improvements.
The Conservancy has already purchased a “boom” that
catches debris at the foot of the Mamaroneck River as it
empties into Long Island Sound
 |
The episode of A Town…and Village Two featuring
Paul Noto and John Zapalla of the Harbor Island Conservancy
will be broadcast in its second week on Wednesday December
17, LMC-TV, Channel 75 with repeats as follows:
| Thursday: |
3:30 am, 9:30 am, 3:30 pm. |
| Friday: |
9:30 pm, |
| Saturday: |
3:30 am, 9:30am, 3:30 pm, 9:30 pm, |
|
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