Bogacz sets record straight

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To The Editor:

The March 6 issue of The Riverdale Press featured a front page article, “Greenway Plan Greeted with Scorn,” on the Feb. 26 joint meeting of the Community Board 8 Parks and Transportation Committees. I feel that the article misrepresents my role at the meeting, as well as the information I presented.

I was asked by the committees to present an update on the draft final concept plan for the Hudson River Valley Greenway Link Study, which was undertaken to develop a concept plan for a continuous multi-use path to link the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway in northern Manhattan and the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail in Yonkers. 

It was funded through a $1 million earmark that Senator Schumer arranged as part of a federal transportation authorization act in 2005. NYMTC has managed the study, which began in 2010, as the study area covers multiple jurisdictions.   

I was asked to attend the meeting to discuss new alternatives developed in response to community concerns and to explain the development of the concept plan and answer questions, so that the Community Board’s committees can formulate comments for the full Board’s consideration. 

I was not present to advocate for the concept plan or seek the committees’ approval. During my presentation, I made clear that local officials and members of the community must reach an agreement on appropriate next steps concerning a possible greenway link.

There has been a tremendous amount of community input into the development of the concepts, and public presentations have been critical to its evolution thus far.

 Once we have Community Board 8’s comments, they will be shared with the study Steering Committee for final resolution and a final concept plan will be issued.  At that time, the study, including NYMTC’s role in it, will have been completed.  

Next steps – as far as funding, implementation and maintenance, are out of the scope of the study and in fact would be undertaken by the appropriate agencies and organizations.

Gerry Bogacz
Director of Planning
New York Metropolitan Transportation Council

New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, Hudson River Greenway, Gerry Bogacz

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