Hyde Park leaders approved a 6.96 percent spending increase for 2009 at a Town Board meeting on Nov. 17, reflecting an overall budget for next year of $7.8 million. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 will pay a total of $870 in town taxes – a $56 increase from 2008. “I wish we could get it down further,” said Supervisor Pompey Delafield (D) following the vote.
The board also voted on resolutions affecting 2009 assessment rolls for the Greenfields Water District, including two resolutions that denied benefit grievances. A property owner on Leonard Road as well as St. Peter’s School had requested reductions in their Greenfields water assessments; the Town Board denied those requests based on the each property’s capacity for water usage.
Regional welcome center
Partners in the Hyde Park Welcome Center are recommending that the project’s property be subdivided so that the National Park Service can begin trail renovations on a large portion of the land. The 30-acre property, located adjacent to and including the current Hyde Park Drive-In site, is owned by Scenic Hudson.
Elizabeth Waldstein Hart, project coordinator for the Welcome Center, explained Monday night that the parcel on Route 9 consists of four components: the Roosevelt Farm Lane trail, which opened this past Saturday; a Welcome Center, which would serve as a informational tourism hub; a commercial component targeted to the tourism industry; and a transportation center that would offer connecting shuttles from area historic sites. The Welcome Center project is a partnership among River Valley National Heritage Area, the National Park Service, Scenic Hudson and the Town of Hyde Park.
The partners have indicated in previous meetings that they’d prefer the town own the 11-acre commercial section of the property. Andy Bicking, director of public policy and special projects at Scenic Hudson, explained that the partners have conducted a variety of studies focused on the economic component of the Welcome Center, and the Hudson River Valley Wine and Culinary Center has indicated interest in the Route 9 location. “Those discussions have been moving forward,” said Bicking.
He noted that a buffer zone has been suggested along Route 9 to preserve viewsheds. “One of the principle goals is to protect historic and agricultural properties,” said Bicking. The partners suggested dividing the property into three zones: a restricted conservation zone; a commercial development zone and a setback along Route 9 to prevent sprawl and protect historic views. Under the partners’ proposed plan, the conservation and setback zones would be transferred from Scenic Hudson to the National Park Service.
Sarah Olson, superintendent of the Roosevelt and Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, said that the National Park Service would prefer to subdivide the property soon so that trail improvements can begin. “The economy has affected the likelihood of a developer for the economic component,” she said.
Olson said that National Park Service would welcome the opportunity to take over those portions of the parcel that are slated for non-commercial use, but they cannot assume ownership of the 11-acre economic portion. “We don’t have the authority to take on projects that don’t yield to our mission,” she said.
Mark Castiglione, director of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and the Hudson River Valley Greenway, is optimistic that the Hudson River Valley Wine and Culinary Center may still be a viable economic partner. “We are experiencing a cloud in the economic outlook, but it gives us time,” he said. “The wine and culinary folks have been very enthusiastic.”
Town leaders questioned the partners’ preference to divide the land into distinct parcels. Bicking reiterated that subdividing the land will allow the National Park Service to begin maintaining some portions of the property and building trails.
“It’s based on our own desire to move forward with development by creating new trails,” said Olson, who added that the National Park Service plans to spend federal funds to maintain the natural landscape of the property.