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,

Print This Page--For best results, use landscape option in Preferences
Email this article