DEPEW PARK Sustainable Master Plan

Transcription

DEPEW PARK
Sustainable Master Plan
City of Peekskill, Westchester County, New York
February 28, 2009
Class Fishing Trip, Lake Mitchell, Depew Park
c. 1940's
Prepared by
Hudson & Pacific Designs
Landscape Architecture
24 Mynderse Street
Saugerties, New York 12477
845.246.1699
Fax: 845.246.1370
www.hudsonpacific.com
This document and all maps were prepared with funds provided by the
New York State Department of State under the Quality Communities Grant Program
DEPEW PARK
February 28, 2009
Prepared by
24 Mynderse Street
845.246.1699
Fax: 845.246.1370
DEPEW PARK
February 28, 2009
Peekskill Common Council
Mary F. Foster, Mayor
Donald F. Bennett, Jr., Deputy Mayor
Drew A. Claxton, Councilwoman
Catherine E. Pisani, Councilwoman
Patricia Riley, Councilwoman
Joseph Schuder, Councilman
Andrew Torres, Councilman
Conservation and Parks Advisory Board
Sue Sheridan, Chairwoman
Kay Barthelmes
Margaret Bryan
Al Collins
Christina Edwards
Don Ettinger
Marie Knapp
Dorothy Leslie
Gene Panczenko
Brian Havranek, Acting City Manager
David Greener, Director of City Services
Francis Brunelle, Director of Human Services
Jean Friedman, City Planner
Prepared by
24 Mynderse Street
845.246.1699
Fax: 845.246.1370
DEPEW PARK
Contents
Page
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................6
SITE ASSESSMENT...................................................................................8
Location and History....................................................................................9
Recent Survey & Site Analysis .................................................................13
SCHEMATIC DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................19
Schematic Design Overview......................................................................20
Hydrology ..................................................................................................23
Landscape Restoration & Habitat Revitalization ......................................28
Circulation & Parking ...............................................................................38
Park Facilities.............................................................................................40
Trails and Trail Signage.............................................................................51
PRECINCT PROJECT PRIORITY & COST ESTIMATES ....................63
SUMMARY...............................................................................................80
PLAN SHEETS & TRAIL MAPS
APPENDICES
A
Senator Depew Conveyance of Land for Depew Park
B
Lake Mitchell Management Plan Prepared by New England Environmental
C
Veterans' Memorial Pool Complex Study Prepared by Ward Associates, PC
D
Funding Resource List
E
Public Meeting Minutes
F
Biographies of Famous People Commemorated in Depew Park
G
Invasive Species Management
H
Native Species List
I
Trail Improvement Guidelines
Introduction
.......................................................................
In 2007, the City of Peekskill retained the firm of Hudson & Pacific Designs, Landscape
Architecture (HPD), of Saugerties, New York, to provide a master plan for Depew Park
and its connection to Blue Mountain Reservation. An essential component of the master
planning process was to engage the community in the plan's development.
Few parks elicit community devotion as passionate as that evidenced by those who took
part in the public presentations and discussions of the master plan for Depew Park. All
viewed the park as an extraordinarily precious resource for the City of Peekskill. All
acknowledged the compassionate care given to the park by the Parks Department and its
staff. The consensus was to enhance the passive and bucolic aspects of the park.
The most serious park problems identified by the public included vehicular traffic and
speed, the deteriorating water quality of Lake Mitchell, and the overabundance of Canada
geese. The overall feeling was that the existing mix of uses was working but that
facilities needed improvement. Also expressed was the notion that any expansion of
activities must not be to the detriment of the park’s ecological and historical resources.
In HPD's explorations of the park, its vast natural richness became clearly evident early
on, and it was decided that the master plan should include sustainable components. Any
and all proposed improvements must clearly restore the park's ecological and cultural
fabric.
Initially, a new topographic survey was prepared and a site analysis conducted to arrive at
an exact understanding of current conditions and to pinpoint problem areas. Next,
schematic design recommendations were developed and subsequently refined during a
public review. Finally, a list of priorities for implementation and cost estimates were
prepared, together with a list of issues that are addressed by each project. Numerous
funding sources that could assist with implementation were identified.
The Conservation and Parks Advisory Board was designated as the City's Project Advisory
Committee, along with City and County staff. These individuals met often with tireless
energy and exhibited a generosity of spirit toward Depew Park. They provided valuable
input and direction as HPD developed a Sustainable Master Plan for Depew Park.
Depew Park Sustainable Master Plan
February 28, 2009
During the process, Senator Chauncey Depew and his legacy, Depew Park, captured our
hearts. The energy and commitment displayed by the citizens of Peekskill during the
21st century would have pleased the man who initially dreamed of
a place where young and old could go for play and recreation
Realizing the Sustainable Master Plan will represent a positive step towards the creation
of an even greater Depew Park to welcome future generations.
The City of Peekskill and its residents should be commended for their decision to embark
on this journey.
February 28, 2009
DEPEW PARK
Site Assessment
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 8
Location and History
..................................................................
LOCATION
See Sheet 1
Set in the southeastern corner of the City of Peekskill, the 176-acre park is
approximately ½ mile east of the Hudson River and the Peekskill Train Station,
generally bordered by Union, Hudson, and Maple avenues and, to the south,
Westchester County’s Blue Mountain Reservation. Surrounded by residential
neighborhoods, Depew Park is close to downtown and is accessible both by
automobile and on foot.
HISTORY
Creation
A June 1937 Press Union article proclaimed that the “Depew Park Grant Was Only
Routine Matter for Donor,” in describing the gift to Peekskill by Chauncey
Mitchell Depew, who represented New York State in the United States Senate
from 1899 to 1911 and had attended the Peekskill Academy for 12 years as a boy.
Routine though the gift may have been for Depew, however, it was a significant
one for the area: Until 1901, Peekskill owned no park or village green. On May
27, 1901, a cordial letter requesting the privilege of addressing village trustees at
their regular meeting arrived from Depew. His intention was to give the village a
park.
To a packed room of current and past village officials and citizens, Depew
declared that he had long felt a great need for a park in the village. He recalled his
boyhood wish for a place that he and his chums could go without fear of
trespassing. Then he continued:
When the old farm over yonder began to be filled up and the village to get around it, it struck me that to cut
down the woods, which I believe are the only primeval forests there are around here, or near to it, and turn it
into lots would be a sort of sacrifice. At the same time, it would afford a nucleus at least and after a while a
very good park in itself, with the surrounding property which I have purchased.
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 9
So I have bought out the other heirs, and having got it in that position I want to present the ground to the
village in order that my successors cannot have the limitation placed upon them which I had when you and I
were boys, Mr. President. And so I have had the deed prepared, and a map of the property.
Post-World War II
The next significant period of park development occurred after World War II as
Peekskill, incorporated as a city in 1940, welcomed its sons home from war. As
Senator Depew had predicted, the city proceeded to grow up around the park. The
road system was expanded, and trails began to be formalized, diverging from the
original design of the park as a place where children could simply roam without
fear of trespassing.
With the baby boom came the stadium, expanded roads with parking, and
increased pressures for more activities and facilities, including the pool and active
sports. As the infrastructure became more developed and social imperatives
evolved, it is possible that the quaint wooden structures and floral gardens became
to seem a burden to maintain. No archival plans for post-1931 development such
as the stadium or subsequent “improvements” were located at City Hall or in the
library.
In 2001, a parcel of approximately 1.8 acres of woodland wetland was subdivided
from the homestead of the late Ruth Rusch by Scenic Hudson and donated to the
City of Peekskill, satisfying the basic conditions of her estate.
THE HISTORIC PLAN AS SEEN TODAY
Depew Park was surveyed in 1931–32 by the Irish surveying company. During
HPD's documentary research at City Hall, a portion of these topographical
surveys was made available to us. Missing from the series of the original five
maps was the central area focusing on the northern developed portion of the park.
Presumably this map was borrowed for post-1931 park improvements and never
returned. However, the firm of Badey and Watson Engineering & Surveying, PC,
from Cold Spring, New York, had the entire series of Irish surveys in its files and
made this important document available to us and to Peekskill.
The Irish survey documents the first development of the park and, when viewed
along with historic photos available at the Local History Room of the city library,
expresses the original intent of the park.
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 10
Active recreation was placed along the park’s northwestern boundary closest to
the established village. The key features of the park included the grand stone entry
gates at Union, Hudson, and Montross avenues and at Fremont, Walnut, and
Ferris streets. The park road system has since been altered along Union Avenue
and Depew Court to accommodate the stadium and new houses built during
the1950s.
Robin Drive is essentially the same today as it was early on, linking Union and
Hudson avenues. Montross Avenue did not enter the park, and Ferris Street was,
according to the survey, a wooded, dead-end road. The survey shows most of the
park topographically with notations as to significant habitat types such as “young
birch and elms,” indicating old pasture. No structures or trails are shown. Most of
the natural features described, including wetlands, rock outcrops, and trees, can
still be found today.
The developed park of 1931 included the following classical features:
The Northwest Corner
Next to Union Avenue and Fremont and Walnut Street Homes
•
Planted evergreen screening: These trees are now mature and high-branched.
Fremont Street Entrance
•
Fremont pond and stream gardens continuing to Union Avenue: The pond was
filled in and the streams engineered for flood control during the 1980s.
•
A wooden pergola, called the Fremont Pavilion, with a sitting area and rock
garden: The pergola has been removed; the rock walls are in fair condition.
•
Fremont bridge, urns, and rockery: What remains is in fair condition.
•
Fremont floral walk and rustic well house: The house has been removed, but
traces of walk remain.
•
Bandstand area: The bandstand was restored in 1981. The bandstand floral walk
was removed. Features of the southern garden area north of the stadium no longer
exist, including the upper bandstand fountain, floral garden, and paths.
•
Tennis courts: These were replaced by the stadium.
•
Parks office: This was expanded.
•
Husted and Chauncey Depew memorials: These are in good condition.
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 11
•
Playground: The swings, seesaws, and sandbox are in fair condition. The
spray wading pool has been abandoned, but the concrete shell remains.
•
Armstrong Lake: Now Lake Mitchell, it contained an island, a fountain, and
causeways. The fountain has been removed, and the area between the island and
the shore was filled in during the 1960s in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce
algae growth in the lake. The southeast end of the lake contained a large wetland
and field, which is now the gravel parking area adjoining a maintenance facility.
•
The planted evergreen screen along Hudson Avenue: These trees are now
mature and high branched.
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 12
Recent Survey & Site Analysis
..................................................................
Refer to Sheet 2
SURVEY
As part of this master plan, Hudson & Pacific Designs commissioned the services
of Badey & Watson Surveying and Engineering, PC, from Cold Spring, New
York, to prepare a property boundary and existing conditions survey for all of the
park's 176 acres. This survey, completed in 2008, details the park's boundary,
with bearing and distance descriptions, easements, deed references, public roads,
and adjoining property lines. Survey pins were also set at all boundary line
tangent points. Badey & Watson also documented the park's existing features,
both natural and manmade, including topography, large rock outcrops, water
features, wetland areas, drainage courses, roads, paths, trails, underground
utilities, buildings, etc. All this survey information was funneled into the map
that became the basis for the Sustainable Master Plan.
SITE ANALYSIS / OVERVIEW
During several field visits designed to analyze the existing site conditions, it
became apparent that the park consisted of several distinct areas or precincts. A
map of the park was created to describe each one. Each precinct has a unique
character or sense of place that contributes to the overall park experience. The
precincts have been organized in the master plan from west to east and then north
to south reflecting the typical visitation patterns.
Precincts
•
Northwest Precinct: The area along Robin Drive between the Union Avenue
and Walnut Street entrances, including the bandstand and the Walnut Street
parking lot.
•
Athletic Area Precinct: Just south of the Northwest Precinct, including the
stadium, pool, Nature Center/Nursery School, Depew Court frontage, and the
Bay Street entrance/exit.
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 13
•
Park Center Precinct: Just east of the Northwest and Athletic Precincts,
including the restrooms, playground, Recreation Department Office, and Lake
Mitchell. This area provides readily accessible short trail loops to the north
and northeast portions of the park.
•
North Precinct: The northeast corner of the park, following Robin Drive from
Lake Mitchell to Hudson Avenue at Pomeroy. The area includes overflow
gravel parking, horseshoe and bocce courts, the Rotary Knoll picnic area, the
Recreation Department Maintenance Building and yard, the Sugar Shack,
basketball and tennis courts, an off-site stormwater retention basin, a sledding
hill, and the Robin Drive trailhead to Montross Avenue.
•
Northeast: The northeast corner of the park. This area is entirely wooded,
containing paved, pedestrians-only Montross Avenue; the Rusch Interpretive
Trail and various other mulched trails; the Parks Department mulch yard; and
the recently donated Rusch parcel connecting to Maple Avenue. There is
trailhead access from Montross Avenue and Ferris Street.
•
Forest Trails: The entire southern half of the park, with dedicated woodland
trails. The trails connect Depew Park to Woodside Elementary and Blue
Mountain Reservation.
Precinct Features Analyzed and Described
Each precinct was analyzed and the following key features described:
•
Structural/built features: All buildings, walls, pavements, pools, utilities, etc.
•
Historical/original features: All original park or design elements such as
monuments.
•
Planting: All trees identified in the 1931 Irish Survey, along with current trees
and plantings.
•
Water/Wetland: All hydrology.
•
Traffic: All vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
(See Sheets 3 through 15 for specific problem areas and historic feature locations.)
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 14
SITE ANALYSIS / BY PRECINCT
Northwest Precinct
The Northwest Precinct is the major gateway to the park, and its most significant historic
structures are here.
They begin with the historic dressed stone wall along Union Avenue, with dramatic stone
entry gates at Union Avenue and Fremont and Walnut streets. The northern stone
boundary wall, another important element, runs from Union Avenue to Walnut Street.
Much of the rustic streamside rock garden walls and bridge remain between Fremont
Street and Union Avenue. The rock garden walls need repairs and re-landscaping. The
Fremont Pavilion, sitting garden, and well house are gone. The former Baker’s Pond near
the Fremont Entrance is now lawn. The former rustic stone wall surrounding Baker’s
Pond has been replaced by rickety timber bollards. The brook between Fremont Street
and Union Avenue was replaced during the 1980s by an engineered rip rap stormwater
channel. An unsightly storm culvert is located just beneath the historic Union Avenue
wall.
The Depew Park Bandstand is in good condition but in need of some routine
maintenance. The original Bandstand Garden Path and upper floral garden with fountain
were removed decades ago. Many significant trees documented by 1931's Irish survey are
in good to better condition. The evergreens in the planting along the property lines of
private residences adjoining the park have matured and are high limbed, therefore no
longer providing a privacy buffer between the park and the homes.
Robin Drive has been realigned between Union Avenue and Depew Court, resulting in
the loss of original garden paths and the aforementioned well house. Robin Drive is in
good condition, but a serious conflict with pedestrians exists, especially during peak
traffic hours. The stretch between Union Avenue and Walnut Street is used by fastdriving cars taking a shortcut to avoid traffic lights on Hudson Avenue. The loss of
connecting paths as a result of the realignment of Robin Drive aggravates the safety
issue.
The addition of the stadium also severed the original pedestrian path system. The
expansive fill along the stadium’s north end contributes to drainage problems throughout
the bandstand lawn. The undergrounding of the brook north of Robin Drive from Walnut
Street to Fremont Street and removal of the pond and park path connections have left this
area bare and unusable.
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 15
Athletic Precinct
Faced with increasing student enrollment in the 1960s, the city added a football stadium
to accommodate the school district's request for a first-class facility to use primarily for
football, baseball, and track. A new track has been added to recently renovated 1920s
Torpy Field, the school district’s athletic field at Walnut and Hudson, which adjoins
Depew Park. (Because the field lies outside park boundaries, it is not included in this
study.)
The stadium’s concrete bleachers are in remarkable shape, but its boundary areas are a
challenge. To the north, the filled slopes have never been adequately healed in. Along
Depew Court, the buffer to the pine grove needs enhancement. To the south, the
boundary at the pool is an unsightly jumble of fence, scoreboards, pool terrace, etc. On
the east, the boundary along the drive is much too tight and provides an uncomfortable
vehicle/pedestrian conflict.
Over the years, random fill at the parking area south of the Veterans' Memorial Pool
complex has disrupted the natural hydrological cycle. The parking area floods frequently
and marginal wetland vegetation is invading the southern portion of the lot. The Veterans'
Memorial Pool complex is in only fair condition and is in need of significant upgrades.
The pool’s configuration and facilities are of outdated types.
Depew Court is a wide public street that accommodates on-street special event parking.
The tight placement of the pool and stadium along the southern portion of Depew Court
and the eastern park drive force park users into vehicular traffic. The present vehicular
circulation discourages pedestrian use of the park and severs important pedestrian
connections.
At the southeast corner of the Veterans’ Memorial Pool parking area is the former Nature
Center, which is used as a nursery school. The drive and cul-de-sac environs need repair
and a better connection to the side yards, with fencing and a nature adventure play area.
Park Center Precinct
The Park Center Precinct is the active heart of Depew Park. Occupying half of the
precinct is one of the park’s dominant features: Lake Mitchell, which has a forested and
landscaped shoreline and a rustic stone bridge. The north lawn is often wet as a result of
its location on the portion of Lake Mitchell that was filled in the 1980s. The picnic
pavilion is a prized park asset that would benefit from the alleviation of seasonal flooding
and the addition of facilities such as barbeques and tables. Remnants of the original
island causeway network, which included a fishing rock and a large island with a
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 16
fountain, appear along the shore, and the original fountain has been filled and made into a
memorial. The rustic stone bridge is part of the active motorway and needs some repair.
Currently, the Lake Mitchell Loop Trail is hard to navigate and is not ADA-compliant; an
opportunity to provide an accessible trail close to the park's center is lost.
Peekskill’s Recreation Department offices command a panorama that encompasses the
stadium, Lake Mitchell, and the Depew Playground. The playground is separated from
the park by Robin Drive, an active motorway. Playground equipment and restrooms have
recently had a significant upgrade. Original features such as the James J. Dever Council
Ring, the wading pool, and the Chauncey Depew Memorial are in need of maintenance
and repair. The northern property boundary and woods to the east lack any definition or
connection to the playground.
The trails around Lake Mitchell and to the east offer a diverse landscape experience close to
the center of the park. They are heavily used and would benefit from increased litter control
as well as more defined ADA enhancements. To ease congestion, the addition of new trails
is recommended. The hemlock forests are declining, the slopes eroded, and the wetlands
trampled; the overall trail experience would benefit from a forest management policy.
North Precinct
The North Precinct is an active pedestrian gateway to the park with one-way traffic
exiting onto Hudson Avenue. Clustered in this precinct are active neighborhood facilities
to meet the needs of Peekskill citizenry, including tennis courts with a variety of surfaces,
basketball courts (often used for soccer), a bocce court, horseshoe pits, a picnic area with
a pavilion and barbeque pits, and the Montross Avenue trailhead.
The perimeter of the park along Hudson Avenue possesses a fine rustic stone wall, with a
vehicular and pedestrian entry gate that is backed by a mature grove of spruce trees.
Disconnected features include the amorphous western boundary along the Board of
Education playing fields; a neighborhood storm-water retention basin crudely engineered
inside the park; and the City Parks maintenance facility, which would benefit from more
generous space to function, perhaps at a site outside of the park.
Northeast Precinct
This portion of the park is most used by the immediate neighborhood, perhaps due to its
location. Its northern boundary is defined by rustic farm fieldstone walls. Noble stone
gateways enhance the pedestrian entrances at Montross Avenue and Ferris Street. The 2001
woodland wetland donation from Ruth Rusch’s estate made it possible to connect the park to
Maple Avenue. Sympathetic boundary and landscape improvements will announce the park
February 28, 2009
SITE ASSESSMENT
PAGE 17
to passersby. Because the Rusch parcel is ecologically sensitive, no trails from Maple
Avenue are envisioned. However, the donation allows for the preservation of a woodland
wetland and will permit expansion of the existing Rusch Interpretive Trail into the western
portion of the newly acquired parcel. A trailhead and sidewalk along Maple Avenue and
Ferris Street to the Ferris Street entrance would provide direct park access to Peekskill's new
Chapel Hill neighborhood.
The screening around the municipal mulch yard at Ferris Street should be improved or
the facility resited away from this important neighborhood gateway to the park. The
pedestrians-only paved roadway through the park called Montross Avenue could be
reduced in width to minimize maintenance, reduce runoff/erosion, and improve park
hydrology.
Forest Trails
The entire southern half of the park offers the retreat “without fear of trespass” that
Senator Depew envisioned. The current trails, although easy to navigate for frequent
users, are difficult for occasional hikers to follow. This tends to discourage repeat
visitation. A uniform standard for trail construction and signage will enhance the overall
experience and minimize long-term upkeep costs.
OTHER PARK ISSUES
Hydrology / Vegetation
Depew Park serves as the lungs of Peekskill. The park's intricate glacial landscape of rocky
soil, hydrology, and vegetation filter a large portion of the air and water for the city. A
cursory glance of the hydrology analysis plan reveals that post-1940 improvements to the
park failed to recognize its interconnected living infrastructure. A major challenge to
reclaiming the park and ensuring its sustainability is to address the increased runoff from the
developing city around it and to reconnect the city to the park's life pulse.
Traffic Circulation
The park was created as a destination for people to re-create themselves, not as a
thoroughfare. While some residents enjoy the drive through the park, automobiles often
conflict with pedestrians’ use of the park. In order to reinforce the park as a destination
retreat, some automobile traffic needs to be eliminated. Strategically placed parking
areas should be created to accommodate all Peekskill residents.
February 28, 2009
DEPEW PARK
Schematic Design Recommendations
SCHEMATIC DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS
PAGE 19
Schematic Design Overview
.......................................................................
HPD's site reconnaissance determined that Depew Park is a vital ecological and historical
recreational resource for the City of Peekskill. As a result of public participation in the
detailed site and use analysis process, it has been decided that Depew Park should be
maintained and revitalized according to Sustainable Development Practices.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES
The Sustainable Sites Initiative, an interdisciplinary effort of the American Society of
Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States
Botanic Garden, has created voluntary national guidelines for sustainable land
design, construction and maintenance practices. Underpinning these guidelines are the
following Guiding Principles of a Sustainable Site:
•
Do no harm: Make no changes to the site that will degrade the surrounding
environment. Promote activities and projects that regenerate ecosystem services
through sustainable design.
•
Precautionary principle: Be cautious in making decisions that could create risk to
human and environmental health. Some actions can cause irreversible damage.
Examine a full range of alternatives, including no action, and be open to contributions
from all affected parties.
•
Design with nature and culture: Create and implement designs that are responsive to
economic, environmental and cultural conditions with respect to local, regional, and
global context.
•
Use a decision making hierarchy of preservation, conservation, and regeneration:
Maximize and mimic the benefits of ecosystem services by preserving existing
environmental features, conserving resources in a sustainable manner, and
regenerating lost or damaged ecosystem services.
•
Provide regenerative systems as integrated equity: Provide future generations with a
sustainable environment supported by regenerative systems and endowed with
regenerative resources.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 20
•
Support a living process: Continuously reevaluate assumptions and values, and adapt
to demographic and environmental change.
•
Use a thinking systems approach: Understand and value the relationships in an
ecosystem and use an approach that reflects and sustains ecosystem services; reestablish the integral and essential relationship between natural processes and human
activity.
•
Foster environmental stewardship: In all aspects of park development and
management, foster an ethic of environmental stewardship, an understanding that
responsible management of healthy ecosystems improves the quality of life for
present and future generations.
OVERVIEW OF THE SUSTAINABLE MASTER PLAN
The Sustainable Master Plan for Depew Park includes recommendations for improving
Park Facilities (playgrounds, fields, courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas, lighting, park
furniture, pool complex, bathhouse, maintenance facility), circulation and safety
(pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow, sidewalks and parking areas, trails), hydrology
(erosion control, drainage, water quality, and aquatic habitat enhancement and geese
control at Lake Mitchell), historic preservation (Fremont Pavilion, Union Brook, fishing
bridge, and the Lake Mitchell island and fountain), and ecology/habitat (landscape
restoration and habitat revitalization).
Specific Management Areas
Utilizing the Sustainable Sites Initiative’ Sustainable Development Principles listed
above, this section of the Sustainable Master Plan will outline the appropriate
management practices for Depew Park following specific sustainable management areas
and/or practices:
Hydrology – Erosion and Flood Control, Water Quality, and Aquatic Habitats
•
•
•
•
Hudson-Montross Retention Basin
Lake Mitchell
The Main Entrance
Veterans' Memorial Pool Parking Area
February 28, 2009
PAGE 21
Landscape Restoration and Wildlife Habitat Revitalization
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Woodland forest
Woodland meadow
Park trees
Park meadow
Park field
Athletic fields
Lawn
Nature in Balance
It is also intended that Depew Park’s ecology will be largely self regulating, always in a
state of dynamic equilibrium, and changing in response to the environment around it.
Natural forces will largely decide what grows and where. Nutrients will be recycled as
fallen leaves decompose and return to the earth. Dead trees will remain standing, serving
as roosts for birds of prey and nest sites. Only where they pose a threat to health or safety
will trees and debris be removed.
Necessary Alterations
To promote certain ecological goals, however, some alterations, including some affecting
portions of the natural area, are necessary. Without some human intervention, the natural
evolution of the site will not necessarily be completely desirable from an anthropocentric
perspective. For example, without management, meadows will quickly revert to forest,
eliminating the bluebirds and butterflies, which depend on them.
In addition, because meadows and their inhabitants are increasingly rare in this area, trees and
vines should be routinely removed from the fields and their perimeters. Encroaching
vegetation needs to be periodically mown. Growth of grasses and herbaceous vegetation
should be encouraged. Nest boxes for bluebirds could be provided. In selected areas of
existing woodland, it may be desirable to create meadows by removing invasive tree species.
The park’s location and its water features make it a prime candidate for a watercourse
restoration. If the water quality in the park is improved, additional protective measures could
be mandated for its contributing residential watershed. Remedial work in the adjoining
neighborhoods to the east and north would benefit the entire watershed and eventually the
Hudson River. Additionally, improved water quality will increase the diversity and
populations of organisms that live in and depend on the park’s water resources.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 22
Hydrology
.......................................................................
Refer to Sheets 16 and 17
The more than 200 acres encompassed by Depew Park and adjacent Westchester County
land is an important hydrological feature of Westchester County. Storm water is
absorbed, filtered, and stored from adjoining neighborhoods and from the site itself.
The approximately 34 acres of the developed northwestern corner of Depew Park process
a substantial amount of storm-water runoff from the city neighborhoods to the northeast.
The north-facing portion of the woodlands also contributes water to this area of the park.
The overflow storm water continues through the city storm system to the Hudson River.
The Northern and Southern Hydrology Analysis Plans illustrate the following three
categories of on-site hydrology:
•
Present watercourse and or edge
•
Historic watercourse and or wetland
•
Problem wet areas
The largest body of water in the park is Lake Mitchell, which serves as the ultimate reservoir
for 75 percent of storm-water runoff in the northern half of Depew Park. The lake supports a
modest diversity of wildlife, including raccoons, fish, green frogs, painted turtles, dragonflies,
damselflies, wading birds, ducks and geese. The lack of aquatic vegetation contributes to
limited diversity and an overall fair to good water quality. The lake has been altered over
time, most significantly by filling the northwestern quarter of the lake to improve water
quality and expand usable passive recreational lands alongside the lake. The landfill did not
help improve water quality in the lake but did not diminish it, either. The Lake Mitchell
Management Plan (see Appendix B) is the result of a year-long study analyzing lake
conditions and providing a detailed list of required actions in our Schematic Design
Recommendations project PC#1 (see page 23).A second water feature, the pond between
Walnut and Fremont Street north of Robin Drive, was filled in during the late 1970s. This
pond served as a valuable flood control system for off and on-site stormwater runoff at the
park's Northwestern Precinct. We propose to restore the park's carrying capacity by creating
an extensive bio-swale pond and brook system at this location.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 23
Most of the historic woodland wetlands remain unchanged. A major wetland once existed
where the present Robin Drive Parking Area exists. Much of the water in this filled area is
conducted directly into Lake Mitchell, where the previous wetland served as a filter for
water entering Lake Mitchell. Problem wet areas occur along the edges of the parking area.
Throughout the northern half of the park, problem wet areas occur along manmade
elements where the natural flow has been altered. By restoring and revitalizing the
historic watercourses through enhanced streams and/or bio-swales, the abundance of
water that now results in problem flooding will become a resource.
Prime examples are the flooding of the tennis courts, where springs were impounded by
the courts' creation, and flooding along the bocce and horseshoe courts, where a wetland
was filled and the remaining stream and overflow piping are inadequate.
The undeveloped southern and eastern portions of the park captures and recycles rainfall
with clean overflow passing into Blue Mountain Reservation and through neighborhoods
to the Hudson River beyond. The Southern Hydrology Plan indicates that the overall
hydrology of the woodlands is in good condition. Occasional log or natural debris snares
need to be cleaned up in order to restore hydrologic balance in the forest.
Erosion and Flood Control, Water Quality, and Aquatic Habitats
A majority of the hydrological process within the southern woodland functions well.
Deleterious erosion occurs along excessively used trails, in areas affected by off-trail
trespass, and in areas where storms have toppled trees. Erosion and flood control
remedies include the following:
•
Restore trail surface with properly graded compacted item no. 4 in heavy use areas.
•
Regrade or reroute long stretches of steep trail where storm water gains momentum.
Provide water bars at the side of the trail or within the non-ADA trails.
•
Revegetate all disturbed areas with native plant material.
•
Discourage off-trail use via natural barriers such as branches, rock, planting, and/or
signage.
•
Seasonally inspect and remove excessive debris that blocks water flow within
streams, wetlands, or drainage swales.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 24
Hudson-Montross Retention Basin
Park development has stressed the hydrological processes in the Northwestern Precinct.
Influx of neighborhood street storm water and the site manipulation undertaken to create
active recreation areas have raised the potential for frequent erosion. Frequent
overtopping or flooding highlights the limited storm capacity of the neighborhood
retention basin just off Hudson at Montross. The basin’s highly engineered structure is
not only unattractive but also provides minimal ecological benefit. Absent a complete
bioengineering study of the drainage area feeding the basin, the following sustainable
practices must be employed within the park:
•
Vegetate the slopes of the basin with native plants that will help filter the water while
increasing habitat values.
•
Expand the limited basin outfall area, and regrade the adjoining drive as part of the
Montross Trailhead Parking Area to capture and direct excess storm flow.
•
Convert Robin Drive’s limited drainage swale into a bio-swale. To increase the
swale’s capacity, provide a deeper sand filtering bed and wider natural stream-like
edges with forebays to capture and slow runoff.
•
Wherever possible, bring the underground storm piping to the surface. Place box
culverts under road or trail beds. Underground piping prevents water from
replenishing the environment and intensifies the velocity and force of storm water,
resulting in excessive erosion.
Lake Mitchell
The porous material used to fill in this portion of the lake causes the field at the northwest
corner of Lake Mitchell to flood frequently. Given the area's importance for picnicking,
the low areas should be raised with a select gradient of six inches of angular river stone,
four inches of sand, and four inches of topsoil.
The shoreline erosion remedies for Lake Mitchell are detailed in the Lake Mitchell
Management Study (see Appendix B). In brief, the lake's shoreline needs to be vegetated
with native submergent vegetation and shoreline plants. This will:
•
Eliminate erosion and subsequent siltation in the lake.
•
Dramatically improve the habitat value of the lake, thereby improving the fishing.
•
Direct lake access to less sensitive areas.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 25
•
Discourage geese from using the lake. In addition, a temporary stake and string
barrier can be installed to prevent geese from returning during peak geese activity
times.
•
Restore the park's aesthetic and historic character.
Main Entrance
The main entrance to Depew Park between Walnut Street and Union Avenue experiences
frequent flooding and erosion. Within the bandstand lawn, excessive water comes from
surrounding paved drives and the football stadium. When these amenities were added to
the park, limited consideration was given to site hydrology or the potential impact the
construction.
The design of a new eco-parking area primarily within the existing paved area at the
Walnut Street entrance will vastly improve the flooding and erosion situation. This ecolot will contain porous pavement; a bio-swale will capture all surface runoff. A bio-swale
stream will provide a destination for the water in the lawn, relieving ponding on the
bandstand lawn. Once the water is diverted into the bio-swales, the lawn areas will be
improved by rototilling with sand and peat and then seeding with a native lawn mix.
The eco-parking bio-swale would continue to a restored Walnut-Union stream and
Baker’s Pond reservoir. An engineering exercise in the late 1980s brutally compromised
the historic reservoir and brook garden that once graced the northwestern park boundary.
As a result, a large volume of street storm water is brought into the park at Walnut Street
and is forced underground until it reaches the jagged rip-rap channel that was once the
brook garden. By bringing the storm water to the surface as a stream with forebays and
re-creating the reservoir and brook, all water will be slowed and filtered before it flows to
the Hudson River.
Veterans' Memorial Pool Parking Area
The existing parking area to the south of the existing pool complex is the park's largest
parking area, an important park access point, and the one with the closest direct access to
the Blue Mountain Reservation.
It sits about 10 feet lower in elevation than the pool and is bordered by hillsides to the
east and west. To the south, remnant wetlands and an intermittent watercourse continue
into the forest. Given the natural topography, this area was most likely a larger forest
wetland cleared and filled in during the construction of the pool complex with no
February 28, 2009
PAGE 26
attention to soil conditions, hydrology, or wetland ecology. As a result, the parking area
experiences continuous settling and flooding.
Surrounding the parking area, marginal fringe wetlands have established themselves and
are choked with exotic and invasive plants. Piles of gravel and visible surface erosion are
evidence that this parking area is not cared for and send the message that it is
unimportant.
To upgrade the area, we recommend the following improvements:
•
Remove the parking area and install proper drainage (specifically, under-drains and
surface drainage), then rebuild to establish a proper firm subgrade that will resist
settling.
•
Install a new sustainable surface treatment. Reduce the amount of impervious
surfaces by limiting asphalt to traffic aisles and drop off areas and include treatments
such as pervious pavement, eco-pavers, gravel, or grass for the parking spaces.
•
Install bio-swales in parking islands and restore the bio-retention areas along the
parking area perimeter.
•
Repair any adjoining intact wetlands by removing invasive plants and drainage
impediments.
•
Remove invasive plant species and use only native species for all landscaping.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 27
Landscape Restoration & Wildlife Habitat
.......................................................................
Refer to Sheet 27
WOODLAND AND PARK
Trees act as a sponge, absorbing carbon dioxide that would otherwise become a
greenhouse gas and helping to offset heat-trapping emissions generated by the burning of
fossil fuels for energy. On average, one forest tree absorbs about 13 pounds of carbon
dioxide each year (2.6 tons per acre of trees)—the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide
produced by 26,000 vehicle miles. The figure in a forested park is higher because of the
park’s denser vegetation, but conservatively the Depew Park Forest absorbs 520 tons of
carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of 5.2 million vehicle miles.
Forests are the “lungs” of the whole environment. A single tree can produce enough oxygen
for two people for a year. Trees can also filter common and harmful pollutants like nitrogen
oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, cadmium, chromium, nickel, and lead. Depew Park,
together with Blue Mountain Park and the Annsville Creek Park Preserve, contribute
significantly to reducing the harm caused by vehicular traffic on city streets and Route 9.
In addition, trees help reduce runoff and flooding and help retain soils that otherwise
erode and silt up streams and lakes. Water then percolates down into the ground, where it
replenishes the water table, is naturally filtered, and stimulates steady rainfall through
continued evaporation. Trees also provide habitat for birds, insects, and mammals. Tree
leaves, seeds, and nuts provide essential food supply, while the shade and moisture they
provide tempers the sun’s heat, protecting plants and other forest life. Their beauty
enriches the soul and provides comfort to visitors in all seasons.
The Depew Park forest is in a fragile condition. Current blights, such as the woolly adelgid
[Adelges tsugae (Annand)], a nonnative insect, has decimated the once-proud hemlock groves
in the woods. The loss of the hemlock reduces the park’s biodiversity and impairs its
ecological function by reducing the variety of habitat. As stands of native trees are lost,
opportunistic nonnative trees such as Ailanthus and Norway Maple take over the sunlit floors
and shade out native trees. Exacerbating this invasion, the burgeoning deer population favors
the young seedlings of native trees. The next generation of mature forest is decimated. The
forest is an integrated whole. Each native species of insect, amphibian, fish, bird, mammal, and
plant is dependent on others. Studies have shown that native insects do not have the chemical
February 28, 2009
PAGE 28
makeup to digest nonnative vegetation; the same is true for birds and mammals. Once the
cycle of life has been disrupted, it’s as if we have toppled the first of many dominoes.
Nonnative trees have been exported and imported all over the world since the beginning
of agriculture. The Hudson River Valley has played an important role in horticultural
trade since early colonial times. The Van Cortlandt family, for example, brought
ornamental plants from Europe to grace their home and sent Hudson Valley plants back
to Europe. Pierre Van Cortlandt sent the sweet shrub to the queen of the Netherlands as a
remedy, prescribed by our native people, for her migraines. Indeed, the trade in plants has
benefited world cultures in terms of forestry, agriculture, and medicine. The problematic
nonnative plants are those that seed and reproduce freely while choking out entire species
of native plants that serve as a vital cog in the local wheel of life.
Depew Park needs an aggressive forest management plan with the following components:
•
Provide forest understory, vine, and forest stand management.
•
Remove all invasive nonnative plants such as Barberry, Euonymus, Tree of Heaven,
Norway Maple, etc. The highest density of nonnative plant invasive species occurs
along the edges of the forest or, recently, in areas where there have been blow downs.
Blow downs or dead groves such as the hemlock grove permit more sunlight to reach
the forest floor, which is where nonnatives most quickly take root.
•
Replant native plants and trees
•
The 1931–32 Irish survey clearly identifies the trees that once existed. To maintain the
historic spirit of the park, the following mid-19th century nonnative ornamental trees
should be planted to replace lost trees and for the enjoyment of future generations:
Norway Spruce
Weeping Silver Fir
Bristlecone Pine
English Oak
Jacquemonti Birch
Fullmoon Japanese Maple
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Serbian Spruce
Nordmann Fir
Swiss Stone Pine
American and European Hornbeam
American Elm (DED resistant variety)
Red Flowering Horsechestnut
Golden Willow
•
Undertake habitat improvements.
•
Manage the whitetail deer population.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 29
FOREST UNDERSTORY, VINE AND FOREST STAND MANAGEMENT
Forest Understory
Understory trees and shrubs are critical in the forest structure, as saplings provide
replacement trees for the canopy and shrubs supply resources for birds and other wildlife.
Vegetation with high wildlife value, such as the native flowering dogwood, Cornus florida,
should be preserved and encouraged. Flowering dogwood occurs occasionally in the forest
interior and offers useful singing perches, nest sites, and, in the fall, a high-fat food that is
eaten by at least 36 species of song birds. This tree is extremely useful as the fruit ripens in
the fall just when it is needed to help fuel migration for thrushes, vireos, and tanagers.
Shrubs such as spicebush, Lindera benzoin, and chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia, also have
high wildlife value and should be encouraged to flourish by controlling invasive species
such as Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii, and winged euonymous, Euonymus alata.
Japanese barberry and winged euonymous can become so abundant that they crowd out and
replace a more valuable mix of native shrubs that benefit wildlife throughout the year.
Selective removal of overhanging branches, to allow additional light, and reduction of
competition from undesirable species will encourage diversity in the understory and a
healthy system. Current deer populations in Westchester County may make the task of
increasing biodiversity difficult as heavy browsing and associated trampling of the soil
increases plant mortality while decreasing seedling survival.
Vines
Vines connect the layers of the forest into a cohesive whole. Native vines such as wild grape,
Vitis spp. and Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, should be protected as these
provide valuable places for nesting and roosting, food, and materials for building nests. At
least 52 species of eastern forest and edge birds eat the fruits of wild grape, and at least 35
species of birds eat Virginia creeper berries. Wild grape is especially valuable as a nesting
material, with at least 16 species of birds using the bark to twine their nests together.
Poison ivy, Rhus radicans, is a common climbing vine. Despite its toxic effect, poison
ivy is a valuable wildlife plant. It provides abundant crops of nutritious fruit in fall, just
when birds need food to build reserves for migration. Poison ivy vines should be
preserved where they are not an immediate hazard to people using the area.
Forest Stand
Fallen trees and other vegetation should not be removed from the site, except where these
materials pose a hazard to human safety, or block trails. Trees should be left to
February 28, 2009
PAGE 30
decompose naturally thereby returning their nutrients to the local ecosystem. Fallen
timber provides shelter and feeding places for salamanders (especially spotted and redbacked), mice, shrews, and other creatures of the forest floor. Large dead trees left on the
ground provide necessary drumming perches for roughed grouse. Standing dead trees
(snags) provide drumming sites for woodpeckers, locations for roosting, and nesting
cavities for cavity nesting birds such as chickadees, titmice, and the great crested
flycatcher. Snags should be left standing unless they pose a safety concern. Branch
pyramids should be erected around planted tree seedlings to protect the trees from
browsing. Periodic removal of flammable materials is also warranted within a 25- to 50foot-wide strip along trails.
Similarly, no pesticides or insecticides should be applied on the site except to protect
public health, safety, and welfare. Except as described in the preceding section,
vegetation in this area should self- regulate naturally, without human intervention.
Planners and visitors, however, must anticipate that over time the park’s appearance will
change in response to natural forces.
Invasive Species Management
Several exotic species present in the park present competition for more desirable native
species. By eliminating the exotic shrubs, nearby native plants will have more resources
for their own growth. All invasive nonnative plants that are detrimental to the ecology
and enjoyment of the park will be removed.
Although the park has been encroached upon by several invasive plant species, their
numbers are not currently alarming. However, it is important that an invasive species
management plan be prepared to monitor the spread of invasive species and that active
management strategies are put in place to counter the spread of these unwanted plants.
Following is a list of those plant species that will be removed in all areas that are
scheduled for site work and within view of the proposed trails.
Undesirable Plant Species Removal
Norway Maple, Acer platanoides
Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus altissima
Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata
Porcelainberry, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
Japanese Barberry, Berberis thunbergii
Oriental Bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus
February 28, 2009
PAGE 31
Winged Euonymus, Euonymus alatus
Japanese Stilt Grass, Microstegium vimeneum
Mile-a-Minute, Polygonum perfoliatum
The well established nondetrimental ornamental plants, such as Euonymus alatus, will
not be removed. The philosophy is that the removal of these ornamental plants would
come at an unnecessary resource cost: petroleum-based machines and herbicides would
be necessary for their removal.
All new landscaping and restoration of disturbed areas will be accomplished through the
use of native plants. These plantings will be implemented in association with mutually
beneficial plants to create an enhanced ecosystem.
Invasive species can be removed in several ways, depending on the particular location
and plant species:
If a shrub is isolated and its root system is not entwined with those of other plants, it may
be mechanically removed. It is important to eliminate as much of the root system as
possible, because many invasive species will sprout from root pieces left behind.
If a shrub is growing among other plants, so much so that uprooting it risks disturbance to
the surrounding native plants that you want to preserve, the plant will be most safely and
effectively killed by chemical means. First it is necessary to cut the plant back to a few
stumps and stubs, about 12 inches from the base. Using a concentrated solution of
glyphosphate (such as Round-Up ™), the technique is to paint the ends of the stumps
with herbicide. This technique is most effective in fall. Note: Proper notification must be
made prior to the application of all pesticides at Depew Park.
Highly invasive groundcovers, like Japanese honeysuckle, will be difficult to eliminate
because of their habit of rooting along any stem. To remove this plant, it will be sprayed
with glyphosphate using very close and targeted application. If it is growing among other
herbaceous or shrub material that will be killed by spraying, the glyphosphate may be
applied by brush or mechanical removal can be used. Repeated treatments will be
necessary to eradicate it.
Highly invasive annuals like garlic mustard are difficult to eliminate, because they grow
from seed that is pervasive in the soil seed bank. If an area is targeted for removal of this
type of persistent annual (such as deer exclusion areas where wildflowers and native
plants have the chance to return), the removal can be accomplished in several ways. First,
if the species is growing densely without other plants interspersed, the area may be
February 28, 2009
PAGE 32
sprayed with glyphosphate, following manufacturer’s recommendations and cautions.
Secondly, individual plants may be pulled by hand. Garlic mustard in particular pulls up
quite easily from a moist, woodland soil. Both of these treatments should be undertaken
before plants set seed. Also the treatment will likely need to be repeated in an area
several times over a season, and perhaps for more than one season, before the plant is
eliminated. Compacting woodland soils should be avoided by limiting paths in the work
area and distributing weight on boards when kneeling.
All of these options will be considered and utilized in various areas of Depew Park as
appropriate. (See Appendix G for more information on specific invasive species common to New York State
and the northeastern United States.)
Native Plants and Trees to Be Replanted
Trees
Canadian Hemlock
Tamarack
American Basswood
American Chestnut
Sugar Maple
White Oak
Shadblow Serviceberry
Eastern White Pine
Northern White Cedar
River Birch
Shagbark Hickory
Red Oak
Flowering Dogwood
Shrubs
Witch Hazel
Arrow Wood
Silky Dogwood
Maple Leaf Viburnam
American Cranberry Bush
Spice Bush
Aquatic
Cardinal Flower
Burweed
Swamp Aster
Cinnamon Fern
Soft Stem Bulrush
Pickerel-weed
Turtlehead
Blue Flag Iris
Royal Fern
White and Yellow Water Lily
Vernal Pool
Zigzag Aster
Gray’s Sedge
Slender Mannagrass
Skunk Cabbage
Marsh Marigold
Tussock Sedge
Cardinal Flower
(See Appendix H for descriptions of native trees, shrubs, and perennials that should be replanted.)
February 28, 2009
PAGE 33
HABITAT IMPROVEMENTS
Nest boxes, possibly a local Boy Scout service project, should be considered as an
addition throughout the property to increase the numbers of cavity-nesting birds.
Varying sizes and styles of boxes placed in different habitat locations will be used by
different species. For example, the meadows provide good habitat for bluebirds and tree
swallows, and the addition of nest boxes will increase the number to available nesting
cavities and thereby the populations of these species.
Unless otherwise specified, nest boxes should be sited at least five feet above the ground,
and should be placed out of direct sunlight and heavy rain. When establishing nesting
sites for bluebirds and tree swallows, the nest boxes should be mounted in pairs, on posts
approximately six feet apart. This strategy usually results in one box being occupied by
tree swallows and the other by bluebirds, because the tree swallows will defend their
territory from their own species but not from others. Old nests need to be cleaned out of
the boxes early every spring. Often mice will nest in the boxes during the winter, so fall
cleaning may not be adequate.
Dimensions Guide for Nesting Boxes
Species
Floor Area
Entrance Hole
Height to Hole
Comments
Habitat
Chickadees
Titmice
Nuthatches
House Wren
Bluebirds
Tree Swallow
Northern Flicker
Barred Owl, Gray Squirrel
4 x 4 in
4 x 4 in
4 x 4 in
4 x 4 in
4 x 4 in
5 x 5 in
7 x 7 in
12 x 12 in
1 1/8"
1 1/4"
1 3/8"
1 1/8"
1 3/8"
1 1/2"
2 1/2"
6"
7"
7"
7"
7"
8"
5"
15"
18"
Line with woodchips
Line with woodchips
Line with woodchips
Woodland
Woodland
Woodland
Forest Edge
Meadow
Meadow
Great-Crested Flycatcher
6 x 6 in
1 9/16"
7"
Line with woodchips
Screech Owl
8 x 8 in
3"
12"
Line with woodchips
Flying Squirrel
4 x 4 in
1 1/2"
8"
10 x 18 in
4"
12-16"
Line with woodchips
Line with woodchips,
3" min.
Wood Duck
Line with woodchips
Line with woodchips
Forest Interior
Forest Edge
or Interior
Forest Edge
or Interior
Forest Interior
Wetlands, Pond
WETLANDS
The purpose of establishing/revitalizing a wetland is not only to delight the eye with
attractive plants, flowers, and visiting wildlife but also to provide many other significant
functions.
A wetland provides a haven and a breeding ground for insects, amphibians, birds, and
small mammals. They act as bio-filters, purifying the water, reducing sediment load, and
February 28, 2009
PAGE 34
helping to establish a balanced, sustainable ecosystem. Once invasive species are
removed, the native plant species that are essential to a functioning habitat will reestablish themselves. Where necessary, native plant species may need to be re-introduced
in order to inhibit the re-occurrence of exotic plants.
WHITETAIL DEER MANAGEMENT
Deer browse activity at Depew Park has been an ongoing source of damage to understory
vegetation and will continue to be a deterrent to habitat restoration and plant
establishment activities.
Relocating the county's deer population to another area within or out of the county is not
an option. Not only does relocation cause significant stress upon deer, deaths associated
with relocation are numerous. In addition, state regulations prevent the relocating of deer.
Much of the forest understory, which is essential to many species of birds and other
mammals, has been destroyed by over browsing. This damage has long-term effects on
the forest and on biodiversity.
Physical Exclusion
This method, which includes fencing, is the one of the most reliable deer control solutions,
and when prorated over animal life spans, fences are often more cost effective than other
programs. But appearance, terrain, or sometimes cost may make fencing impractical.
Whatever the strategy and material used, the fence must be firmly attached to the ground,
typically via a concrete footer buried below frost depth (at least four feet). Deer will
squeeze under or through tight places and are smart enough to knock down a flimsy fence.
They will normally attempt to go under or through a fence rather than jump over it.
Netting and Partial Barriers
Effective for protecting small plantings, individual plants, or small beds of plants, netting
and partial barriers can also be used to surround a planting as a temporary fence. Around
a large planting, netting may need to be high enough to prevent being jumped over—6 to
8 feet. (At this point, it’s really a fence.)
Passive-Exclusion Fences
Low fences can be successful where the deer can’t see a safe landing zone; the threat of
injury is a powerful deterrent. The combination of a four-foot fence and five-foot tall
shrubs they can’t see through will work. A woven wire fence must be at least eight feet
high, with 12-foot posts placed at 40-foot intervals And the bottom placed at ground level
February 28, 2009
PAGE 35
so that the deer cannot crawl under it. A fence that slants away from the area to be
protected is another successful design because slanting lines seem to confuse deer. If
properly built, a wire fence should last about 20 years and need little upkeep.
Rotating Deer Exclusion Zones
In disturbed forest areas, deer fencing is installed surrounding disturbed areas for periods
of three to ten years, depending on the speed of growth for the native tree seedlings to
reach a size too large for deer to browse. Permanent fencing at sensitive areas will allow
the native flora to return, thereby increasing the forest’s biodiversity. Key areas to target
for this treatment include:
The Chauncey Depew Explorer's Trail
The Lake Mitchell Trail Loop
The Nature Center Interpretive Area
The Rusch Interpretive Area
All of these options will be considered and utilized in various areas of Depew Park as
appropriate.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 36
MEADOW, FIELD, AND LAWN
A majority of Depew Park’s ground plane is maintained in lawn. Lawns have a classic
aesthetic and are best suited to active use but require a high level of maintenance—
maintenance that requires the burning of fossil fuels. In addition, lawns have minimum
carbon load absorption value. The sustainable approach is to create five levels of grounds
maintenance:
•
Lawn: Mow frequently to provide uniform healthy turf for active play and passive
event gathering.
•
Field: Mow periodically to provide turf suitable for occasional active play.
•
Meadow: Mow seasonally to maintain open space at the highest ecological and
carbon load values.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 37
•
Planting Beds: Maintain these in mulch and ground cover with occasional weeding.
•
Forest Floor: Maintain in natural state with seasonal weeding/removal of
invasive/nonnative plants.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 38
Circulation & Parking
.......................................................................
Refer to Sheets 18 and 19
During this study, a majority of the public expressed concern over the increase in
vehicular traffic in the park, particularly during a.m. and p.m. peak traffic hours. The
speed of the vehicles only compounds the problem. With the curving roads and the park's
natural features, conditions are unsafe for pedestrians.
To ensure pedestrian safety and easy access to parking areas, two guiding principles were
determined:
•
Identify key vehicular entry points and provide upgraded parking lots.
•
Leave the heart of the park free from vehicles.
The plan provides for three distinct vehicle entrances and destinations:
Walnut Street Entrance, the Main Park Entry
Walnut Street becomes the main entrance to a gateway plaza. The plaza will contain a 40space parking lot with two bus spaces as well as access to ADA paths to most amenities
in the park. The two-way traffic continues on Walnut Drive to the park office, which will
have 11 spaces for office parking. Walnut Drive ends in a cul-de-sac that provides ADA
picnic and lake drop-off access.
Union Avenue Entrance
Vehicles can enter the park from Union Avenue at Depew Court or Bay Street to access
the 60-car parking lot south of the pool area, which will accommodate cars, buses, and
service and emergency vehicles. The Nature Center roadway will allow for ADA parking
and drop-offs, with parking provided at the pool parking lot below.
Hudson Avenue Entrance*
Across from Pomeroy Street
Robin Drive will be upgraded for two-way traffic between Hudson Avenue and the
Montross Drive Trailhead. The existing triangular junction between Montross and Robin
drives will be converted into a 14-car parking area to serve the tennis, basketball, and
handball courts and the trail system. Improvements to the existing storm-water
February 28, 2009
PAGE 39
management basin and outlet will be made to alleviate the flooding problem. Robin
Drive will terminate at a new 20-car parking area at the bocce/horseshoe courts with a
multiuse playing field that can provide parking for 20 additional cars. Robin Drive also
provides direct access to the park's maintenance yard. Montross and Fremont drives
(beyond the entrance gate pillars) will remain a pedestrian trail, with vehicular traffic
limited to maintenance and emergency vehicles. There will be no change to streets that
contain residences or to the names of these streets.
To provide pedestrians with a safe and pleasant park experience, certain sections of
existing roads will be converted to pedestrian use only; the roads will be reduced in width
to 12 feet and will be lined with benches and flowering trees. The new promenades (see
the section on trails for more details) are:
•
Fremont Drive from Depew Court to Fremont Street.
•
Walnut Drive from the new turnaround south of the park's office building to the
Veterans' Memorial Pool parking area.
•
Robin Drive from Walnut Drive, including the stone fishing bridge, to the new Robin
Drive parking area south of the maintenance building.
* Note: When improvement is made, the Parks Office will no longer be located on Robin Drive. The Post
Office and 911 should be notified that the Parks Office address is now 1 Walnut Drive.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 40
Park Facilities
.......................................................................
Refer to Sheets 20 thru 26 and Project Priority Matrices
Recommended improvements to the park are categorized in rank of importance according
to each park precinct. The ranking is based upon performing the base improvements so
that the park may be improved in a logical sequence as economically and with as much
ecological improvement as possible.
NORTHWEST PRECINCT
Serving as the main entrance and providing what should be a welcoming first glimpse,
the park's Northwest Precinct is its most important area.
Project NW #1 – Walnut Street Gate/Main Entrance and Parking Area
Improve the park's aesthetics, ecology, and safety by designing a unified welcome center
to the park. Scope of work includes:
Main Entrance Gates
•
Repair entry gates and provide new bronze signage illuminated by recessed down
lighting.
•
Add textured pedestrian crosswalk to create a threshold and calm vehicular traffic at
the main entrance.
Parking Area
•
Replace existing expansive impervious pavement with an efficient parking area with
bio-swale to accommodate 40 cars and two buses.
•
Provide new ADA-compliant paths at both sides of parking lot to connect to Walnut
Street sidewalks.
•
Provide new Rhododendron Garden near the path to Torpy Field.
•
Provide a new access driveway surfaced with porous Eco-Pavers to Torpy Field gate.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 41
Main Entrance Lawn
•
Provide new ADA-compliant paths at both sides of the main entrance parking lot.
•
Provide new paths through the lawn to the bandstand, the new Overlook Garden (see
below), and around the east side of the stadium; restore existing paths.
•
Renovate existing lawn with native turf grasses and replant original noninvasive
ornamental trees (noted in the Irish survey).
•
Add new Overlook Garden and fountain with benches.
Project NW #2 - Restoration of Historic Fremont Street Reservoir
•
Restore the historic pond at Fremont Street as a storm-water catchment basin and habitat
enhancement area; restoration to include historic rock garden and bridge stone walls.
•
Provide a new bio-swale connecting to the main entrance (Walnut Drive) parking area
bio-swale.
Project NW #3 - Union Brook Restoration
•
Mitigate groundwater problems by creating a bio-swale north of the Fremont Drive.
•
Restore Union Brook and the rock gardens between Fremont Street and Union
Avenue. Remove Army Corps-style drainage channel. Add a stone veneer to the
facade of the concrete culvert wall at Union Avenue.
Project NW #4 - Fremont Drive and Abraham Depew Promenade
•
Convert the former road between Depew Court and the entrances at Fremont Street
and Walnut Street to a pedestrian promenade; reduce the paved area to 12 feet;
restrict to pedestrians and service and emergency vehicles.
•
Provide textured pavement at street intersections.
•
Plant an allée of flowering trees.
•
Repair and repaint the bandstand where necessary.
•
Restore the stone entry gates at Fremont Street.
•
Provide new period benches and lighting.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 42
Project NW #5 - Union Avenue Entrance and Depew Court Enhancement
•
Restore the stone entry gate piers and wall.
•
Provide pedestrian path at the Union Avenue entry gate wall with textured paving;
provide crosswalk linking this new path to an existing path from Hudson Avenue;
renovate existing path.
•
Plant new specimen ornamental trees within open areas to frame views and line
Depew Court.
Project NW #6 - Overlook Garden Restoration
•
Restore the Overlook Garden (with historic photo as a model) using period site
furniture, lighting, and sidewalk and sitting area surface treatments and landscaping.
This restored garden should be ADA-compliant.
•
Provide buffer plantings between the Overlook Garden and the track.
Project NW #7 Park Boundary Evergreen Buffer Enhancement
•
Stabilize existing stone walls along the park's north property line between Union
Avenue and Torpy Field.
•
Replace unsightly walls and fencing with sympathetic stone and or wood fencing.
•
Enhance the historic evergreen screening by inter-planting next-generation evergreen
trees and flowering evergreen shrubs along the north property line between Union
Avenue and Torpy Field.
Project NW#8 Fremont Pavilion Replication
•
Construct a replica of the historic Fremont Pavilion and Sitting Garden with period
site furniture, lighting, sidewalk and sitting area surface treatments and landscaping.
This replica garden should be ADA-compliant.
ATHLETIC PRECINCT
The master plan for this precinct, which is intensely developed for active sports such as
football, baseball, running, and swimming, attempts to heal or blend the stadium and pool
complexes into the park's historic and aesthetic fabric.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 43
Project A #1 – Walnut Drive and Athletic Trail
Walnut Drive and Parking for Parks Office
•
Wherever practical, increase pedestrian safety by realigning Walnut Drive and the
parking area near the park’s office to create a buffer to the stadium and an off-road
path. The drive will terminate in a cul-de-sac that provides a drop-off for the picnic
area and ADA-compliant access to Lake Mitchell.
•
Convert the remainder of the existing Walnut Drive into a pedestrian promenade
leading to the existing Veterans' Memorial Pool parking area.
•
Create an off-road path around the swimming pool complex to connect to a new offroad trail west and north of the stadium.
•
Athletic Trail: New trail extension linking existing path at northwest corner of
stadium to the bottom of the concrete bleachers and to the existing sidewalk along
Depew Court west of the existing pool complex.
•
Edge and resurface track and infields; perform turf maintenance as necessary.
Project A #2 – Veterans' Memorial Pool / Trail Gateway Parking Area
•
Parking: Create a permeable 60-car parking area for year-round use, plus an overflow
25-car field parking and bus drop-off area.
•
Bio-swale drainage: Remove invasive wetland plants; create bio-swales and
remediational wetlands to absorb runoff and enhance habitat.
•
Provide new site lighting and trailhead sign.
Project A #3 – Veterans' Memorial Pool Complex
The swimming pool complex is in dire need of upgrade and renovation. This project is
listed last, strictly because it is expensive and the funding resources for the project are
limited. A report by Ward Associates of Bohemia, New York, in 2003 (see Appendix C)
thoroughly describes the steps necessary to modernize the pool complex, including:
•
Improvements to main pool and wading pool.
•
New spray ground.
•
New slide pool and interactive pool for older children.
February 28, 2009
•
Sun shelters.
•
Privacy screening.
•
Lawn expansion.
•
Bathhouse improvements and modernization.
PAGE 44
Once funding becomes available, the Ward report should be reviewed in the light of pool
conditions and trends in pool facilities prevailing at that time. At present, it is unsafe to
walk past the pool complex, and the pool’s topographic relationship to the parking area
makes ADA compliant access negligible.
Project A #4 - Nature Center
Improve access drive and cul-de-sac with stabilized, vegetated slopes; a pedestrian path;
permeable paving; and ADA-compliant parking.
Project A #5 – Nature Center Adventure Play Area
Create a new thematic nature adventure play area and a nature adventure trail of
approximately 0.2 miles in length to complement the Nature Center and provide an
outdoor educational facility for children.
Project A #6 - Frolf (Frisbee Golf) Course
Directly southwest of the Pool and Trail Gateway parking area, create a challenging new
nine-station frisbee–golf course, weaving it within existing woodland. Frolf, also known
as disk golf, was invented in the late 1960s and is growing in popularity around the
world; the object of the game is to move along a course, throwing a disk into metal basket
or at a target; the player who gets from beginning to end with the fewest number of
throws of the disc.
PARK CENTER PRECINCT
Iconic Lake Mitchell, combined with the playground, is the heart of Depew Park.
Project PC #1 - Lake Mitchell Improvements
Lake Mitchell has been thoroughly studied by a leading aquatic systems analyst, New
England Environmental, of Amherst, Massachusetts. The firm's scientific report (see
Appendix B) outlines the following actions as necessary to restore the lake to ecological
health.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 45
•
Restore the lake inlet: Clean the sediment-laden inlet to Lake Mitchell to natural
contours and provide a sediment forebay along the inlet cove at the northeast corner
of the lake. This forebay will aid in capturing and collecting suspended sediment
from contributing areas draining to the lake and in turn will reduce the lake's annual
maintenance and improve its ecology. The forebay would be formed by a stone weir
at the west end of the cove.
•
Sediment removal: Mechanically remove accumulated sediment from the lake
bottom.
•
Lakeshore stabilization: Stabilize several areas of shoreline via bio-logs, reinforced
with stone and/or planted with appropriate vegetation. This will reduce
sedimentation, increase biodiversity, improve public use of the lake, and contribute to
geese control.
•
Aquatic habitat: As part of the shoreline restoration, construct an aquatic shelf in
several areas around the lake. Plant these shelves with emergent wetland plants to
create habitat, improve the lake's aesthetic quality, and discourage geese access.
•
Repairs to existing equipment: Make all three existing aerators operational.
•
Chemical treatments: Provide a limited application of algaecide, herbicide, and
buffered alum as needed.
•
Outlet Cove waterfall: To improve water quality in this restricted area of the lake;
create a recirculating waterfall at the cove's northwestern boulder slope. The cascade
will provide drama while providing much-needed aeration and water circulation.
•
New stone culvert bridge at lake inlet: Create a pedestrian bio-swale crossing bridge
with spectacular views out over Lake Mitchell and beyond to the west side of the
Hudson River.
•
Create a new Council Ring and trailhead at the southern end of the lake to serve as a
destination and gathering location.
•
Rock Point: Restore the historic rock fishing point with rockery and lakeshore
enhancement plantings.
•
Lake Mitchell Loop Trail extension: Extend the Lake Mitchell trail around the
southwest end of the lake. Connect this trail to the new Walnut Drive turnaround.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 46
•
Senior Gathering Area: Provide a new small sitting area with shade trees and game
tables at the northwest side of the lake, north of the picnic pavilion.
•
Restored island: To increase the surface area and improve lake aesthetics, reclaim the
historic island by creating a natural channel around the island.
•
Restore the original fountain and add a recirculating waterfall to aerate the lake water.
•
Restored island bridges: Historic postcards show two pedestrian bridges, one wooden
and one stone, which lead to and from the historic island. Restore these bridges. Each
will offer unique views of the park and the lake.
•
Stone dock: Provide a new ADA-accessible pedestrian fishing dock located on the
southwestern shore of the lake near the laurel garden.
•
Laurel Garden: As part of the lakeshore stabilization, plant the southwest shoreline
with different varieties of laurel for seasonal interest.
Project PC #2 - Abraham Depew Promenade
Reduce the existing road between the playground and the maintenance building to 12 feet
in width and ban all vehicular traffic except emergency and maintenance vehicles,
thereby creating a promenade for strolling and jogging, bicycling, and fishing from the
stone bridge. A dedicated five-foot-wide pedestrian path will run parallel to the 12-foot
path, with a five-foot-wide bio-swale between them.
Project PC #3 - Depew Playground
•
Add a new ceremonial playground entrance arbor and locking gate and decorative
fencing.
•
Restore the Dever Council Ring: Repair stonework and add landscaping and three
sculptural benches to complete the ring; raise the surrounding grade to permit
universal access.
•
Chauncey Depew Explorer's Trail: Create a new interactive trail between the Dever
Council Ring and a new Discovery Garden (see below), looping around the Chauncey
Depew statue at the top of the knoll. The trail would continue to a covered pavilion
or bird blind for viewing into forest wetland.
February 28, 2009
•
PAGE 47
Discovery Garden: Transform the knoll, former wading pool, and forested wetland
into an intensive discovery garden that invites children and adults to interact directly
with nature. Extending down to a new wetland bridge, the garden would include
interactive play, sculptures, and interpretive signage describing local geology, history,
and biodiversity and would be enhanced with native plant species. Views would
encompass the lake and the new waterfall.
Project PC #4 - Fishing Bridge
Improve the existing stone bridge. Direct surface drainage more quickly off the bridge;
repair cracks in the abutments caused by drainage problems. Remove the asphalt
pavement and replace it with appropriate drainage and historic-style pavers. This will
restore the structure of the bridge and emphasize its primary use as a gathering place.
Project PC #5 - Historic Monuments
•
Senator Chauncey Depew Statue: This statue is in good condition but needs cleaning.
Regrade the ground surrounding the stone benches, where serious erosion has
affected the benches' stability; reset the benches on an appropriate sub-base and
provide new stone ashlar paving in limited areas surrounding the benches and statue.
•
James J. Dever Council Ring: Repair the mortar of the monument stone work. A stone
apron would improve access and ground conditions at the entry to the council ring.
•
James W. Husted Statue: This statue, which is showing signs of pitting, needs
cleaning and proper protection. Repair the stone work and paving mortar.
•
Lt. Edmund Charles Clinton Genet: Clean this monument, which is in good condition.
NORTH PRECINCT
The north precinct is important because of its concentration of active recreational
facilities. Currently, most access is by car on the way out of the park; pedestrian access
from the adjoining neighborhood is negligible. The Sustainable Master Plan proposes to
create two-way vehicular access to a new parking area at the Montross Drive trailhead
and to an improved parking area at the bocce/horseshoe pits. Also, paths from Hudson
Avenue will dramatically improve pedestrian access.
Project N #1 – Montross /Robin Drive Parking Area
•
To accommodate two-way traffic, reconstruct the eastern pier of the Robin Drive
gateway; restore the stonework.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 48
•
Widen and narrow Robin Drive to create a two-way drive uniformly 18 feet wide
extending to the existing parking area at the bocce/horseshoe pits.
•
Create a 14-car tennis and trail parking area at the existing Montross Drive— Robin
Drive intersection.
•
Provide an improved outlet and expanded catchment area to help control overflow
from the existing retention basin to eliminate road surface flooding.
•
Provide a continuous bio-swale and a five-foot-wide pedestrian trail along the eastern
side of the drive.
•
New trail crossing at the Montross parking area to link to Hudson Avenue and the
path to the tennis courts.
Project N #2 - Chauncey Depew Explorer Trail (North Section)
Create a trailhead at Hudson Avenue that will also serve the tennis courts and continue to
the basketball courts, the Rotary Knoll picnic area, and the Lake Mitchell Dam. This trail
will contain a bird blind (a screened gazebo and feeding station) at the woodland wetland
and a deer exclusion zone to aid in the restoration of some unique ecological
communities. Interpretive signage will also be included to expand the trail’s use as an
educational tool. Also included in this project will be a new path and steps from Rotary
Knoll to Robin Drive.
Project N #3 - Robin Drive Parking Area
The existing parking area near the bocce/horseshoe pits is located on a former pasture and
wetland. The expansive gravel pavement is awkward and unstable, and contributes to
flooding along the perimeter.
•
Create a permeable 20-car parking area with a multiuse grass playing field that can be
used as an overflow parking area for 20 additional vehicles.
•
Install a bio-swale south of the bocce courts and horseshoe pits.
•
Construct a new bocce court and upgrade the horseshoe pits.
•
Design a new 'green' senior citizen pavilion with ecological restrooms, possible
seasonal snack bar, and/or sports equipment rental space.
•
Create a new path to the existing Lake Mitchell Trail with stone footbridge over new
lake wetland at the eastern inlet of the Lake Mitchell bio-swale.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 49
Project N #4 - Parks Maintenance Facility
The park's maintenance facility is now highly visible to the park users. Improvements to
the yard will better organize and define the limits of the maintenance operations and
material/equipment storage while improving the safety of workers and park visitors. To
enhance the overall aesthetics of this conflicting use, provide clearly defined edge
treatments and landscape screening and fencing.
Project N #5 – New Handball Court at Hudson Avenue Tennis Courts
To enhance the active sports theme already established in the north central portion of
Depew Park, create a new handball court in the open area just east of the existing tennis
courts. A handball court consists of a hard surface court with pavement markings similar
to a tennis court with a solid wall at one end.
NORTHEAST PRECINCT
This precinct experiences the most active pedestrian access between the neighborhood
and the park woodlands.
Project NE #1 - Montross Drive / Ferris Drive Improvements
•
Replace damaged sections of asphalt drive with porous asphalt measuring at least 20
feet in length by 18 feet in width.
•
Repair the shoulders with structural meadow that can support occasional service
vehicles.
•
Improve the road drainage ditch as a natural bio-swale/restored stream system to slow
flow and control erosion.
Project NE #2 - Compost Yard Screening
•
Screen and fence the compost facility from neighbors and Ferris Drive.
•
Eliminate compost seepage into streams and wetlands.
•
Restore the woodland wetland adjoining the compost yard.
•
Consider expanding screen fencing as a deer exclusion habitat zone.
Project NE #3 - Rusch Natural Area
•
Renovate existing trails, signage, and benches.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 50
•
Create a new interpretive trail loop on the parcel donated by Rusch and Scenic
Hudson.
•
Expand the site's biodiversity by establishing a deer exclusion zone around and out of
view of the interpretive trail loop.
RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS AFFECTING ALL PRECINCTS
Lighting
The master plan contemplates the initiation of a park-wide site-lighting program. As
master plan projects are implemented, existing site lighting should be systematically
replaced with replica early 20th-century post-mounted and bollard lighting.
Site Furniture
The Sustainable Master Plan contemplates the initiation of a park-wide site-furniture
program. Existing site furniture should be systematically replaced with replica early
20th-century park benches, trash receptacles, and bollards. This is most important in the
Northwest, Park Center, and North precincts, the precincts that contain the majority of the
park’s historical fabric.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 51
Trails & Trail Signage
..................................................................
PEDESTRIAN PARK ENTRANCES
Depew Park is bordered on three sides by large residential neighborhoods and is
easily accessible by foot from downtown. For that reason, dedicated pedestrian
paths need to connect every street gateway to city sidewalks. Beginning from
west to south in a clockwise direction, the park will be accessed by foot on
dedicated paths at these locations:
•
Woodside Nature Trail/Boundary Trail from the end of Union Avenue and
Woodside School.
•
Depew Court Gateway at Union Avenue.
•
Fremont Gateway at Fremont Street.
•
Walnut Gateway at Walnut Street.
•
Hudson Avenue Gateway at tennis courts.
•
Robin Drive Gateway opposite Pomeroy Street.
•
Hudson Trail Gateway off Hudson Avenue.
•
Montross Gateway at Montross Avenue.
•
Ferris Gateway at Ferris Street.
•
Boundary Trail from Maple Avenue in Blue Mountain Reservation.
TRAIL PROBLEMS
Trail users may not be able to articulate what a “perfect” trail looks like, but
almost everyone can list the characteristics of a “bad” trail. The following are
some characteristics that create less-than-optimal trails
•
Deep trenching: The trail is so sunken that hikers feel as if they are walking in
the bottom of a half-pipe, and equestrians drag their spurs.
PAGE 52
•
Widening: The trail has widened from a single or double track to an unsightly
wilderness.
•
Short cuts: Knowing that shortest distance between two points is a straight
line, users create a web of trails, most of which are steep and erosive.
•
Tripping hazards: Regular use and erosion ultimately expose tree roots and
rocks that become tripping hazards.
•
Steepness: If a trail is too steep over a long distance, some people will not use
the trail and those who do will not enjoy their excursion.
•
Impact on natural/cultural resources: Erosive trails and multiple trails can
adversely affect rare plants and archaeological sites.
All these problems can be tied to one or more of the following causes:
•
Moving water: The foremost cause of trail problems, the movement of water
causes erosion and deep trenches. It also exposes tripping hazards.
•
Poor initial trail design: Even regular maintenance can rarely overcome this.
•
Inadequate or inappropriate maintenance: This wastes valuable crew time and
can sometimes increase trail problems.
Off-road vehicles are not allowed anywhere in New York State except with the
explicit permission of the landowner. They are illegal on all New York public
parklands. Large rocks or posts at trailheads and an occasional large blow down
along the trail will discourage most off-road vehicles. In areas that are
infrequently used or have a low overall user population, ATV presence is almost
unavoidable. City of Peekskill police ticket illegal users when they are witnessed
committing the offense but caution that staffing for this purpose is limited. In
extreme cases, a reroute of the trail may be necessary to avoid proximity to
residential areas/properties where these users might be entering the trail system.
MAPPING TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS
During 2008, the park's entire trail system was evaluated. Both official and
trespass trails were analyzed for their usability, function, ecological and historical
February 28, 2009
PAGE 53
resources, and limitations. As a result, two park maps were prepared for Depew
Park.
The first map represents existing trails, documenting the official trail names,
bridges, and parking areas. Any trails not shown on the map should be closed and
returned to their native state per Appalachian Trail standards, which prescribe the
creation of tree branch barrier piles, etc.
The second map is the Sustainable Master Plan recommendation for trails that
should be added to enhance the recreational, ecological, and historical
appreciation of Depew Park. These trails can be cleared and marked as funds
and/or volunteer groups become available. The following text describes existing
and proposed trails. Each map clearly identifies junction posts, which follow the
system used in the adjacent Blue Mountain Reservation in order to help orient
users on the trails.
EXISTING TRAILS
Refer to Depew Park Existing Trail Map
•
Abraham Depew Promenade/Trail (currently Robin Drive): Senator Chauncey
Depew's great grandfather, Abraham Depew, organized and financed a militia
for the colonial army during the American Revolution. Because of the
expense, he was forced to sell this property, which he had acquired directly
from the Native Americans. Three years later, in 1797, he repurchased the
property; it was ultimately inherited by Senator Depew. The most prominent
park trail is named in this Peekskill patriot's honor. It runs between the Union
Avenue Gateway and the Ferris Street Gateway, past Fremont and Walnut
streets, and along Robin, Montross, and Ferris drives on sidewalks and/or road
surfaces.
•
Hudson Trail: This trail starts on Hudson Avenue and runs directly south to
the Rosie Trail at junction 24. It crosses the Abraham Depew Promenade/Trail
and the Snake Hill Trail at junction 41.
•
Boundary Trail: Depew Park's southern most trail, bordering Blue Mountain
Reservation, runs the entire width of the park from the Woodside School
trailhead, past junction 35, to Maple Avenue. Other access points from
Depew Park to Blue Mountain Reservation are at junction 36 to the Blue
Mountain Crossover Trail, junction 37 to Blue Mountain Dickey Brook Trail,
February 28, 2009
PAGE 54
and junction 39 to the Blue Mountain Parking Area. The Boundary Trail
connects Depew's Blue Mountain Reservation Summit Trail in the east and
Blue Mountain Access Trail in the west.
•
Blue Mountain Access Trail: This provides direct access from the Veterans'
Memorial Pool parking area south to the Blue Mountain Reservation.
•
Blue Mountain Summit Trail: This provides direct neighborhood access from
the Abraham Depew Trail at Ferris Drive south to Blue Mountain Reservation
along the eastern boundary of Depew Park.
•
Lake Mitchell Trail: The existing trail begins at Walnut Drive near the
Veterans' Memorial Pool parking and continues along the wooded
southeastern shore of Lake Mitchell to the parking at the bocce/horseshoe
courts.
•
Snake Hill Trail: This begins opposite the basketball courts at Robin Drive
and parallels Montross Drive, heading into the woods at Ferris Drive to
connect with the Upland Trail.
•
Ruth Rusch Interpretive Trail: A short interpretive nature trail, created by
Ruth Rusch to educate visitors. It loops off Ferris Drive near the Blue
Mountain Summit Trail.
•
Rosie Trail: Beginning at the northeastern edge of Lake Mitchell, the Rosie
Trail heads east to connect to the Abraham Depew Promenade/Trail at Ferris
Drive. Along the way, it connects with the Bryan Trail at junction 23, the
Snake Hill Trail at junction 27, and the Hiking Loop Trail at junction 28.
•
Nature Center Trail: From the Nature Center, this trail heads southwest to the
Blue Mountain Access Trail. It crosses the Singleton Trail at junction 4 and
joins the Singleton Trail between junction 5 and 6.
•
El Capitan: This short loop begins at junction 30 and ends at junction 32 on
the Blue Mountain Summit Trail.
•
Bryan Trail: This trail begins in two separate locations: at junction 2 near
Lake Mitchell and at the Nature Center Access Drive. It intersects with the
Singleton Trail at junction 3 and the Beecher Trail at junction 16 before
ending on the Upland Trail at junction 23.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 55
•
Singleton Trail: This winding trail crosses and joins with the Nature Center
Trail before ending on the Blue Mountain Access Trail at junction 9.
•
Beecher Trail: This long trail winds north and south through the central
portion of the park. It begins on the Blue Summit Trail at junction 31 and ends
on the Bryan Trail at junction 16.
•
Hawley Green Trail: This short loop connects the Ruth Rusch Interpretive Trail
to the Upland Trail, crossing the Blue Mountain Summit Trail at junction 29.
•
Rock Ledge Loop: This loop also begins and ends on the Blue Mountain
Summit Trail. It starts at junction 32 and winds south to end at junction 33.
PROPOSED TRAILS
Refer to Depew Park Trail Master Plan
•
Lake Mitchell Trail Extension: The existing trail will continue around the
north side of the lake to a proposed Council Ring at the south end of the lake.
It will follow the lake edge, cross a proposed bridge to the re-created island,
and cross another proposed bridge to continue along the shoreline.
•
Ruth Rusch Trail Extension: This loop will be added to the northeastern
portion of the existing interpretive trail and will highlight natural features in
the area near Ferris Drive.
•
Kitchewank Climb: This loop will begin on the Rosie Trail at junction 24,
where the Hudson Trail ends, and join the Beecher Trail for a short distance
before heading into and looping around steep hills and boulders.
•
Harriet Green Trail: This short climb up a small knoll will begin on the Hiking
Loop Trail and should offer views of the small stream to the east.
•
Hidden Pond Trail: This short trail will connect the Snake Hill and Hudson
Trails and will pass by a small pond.
•
Wetlands Trail: This starts on the Boundary Trail and heads in a generally
northwesterly direction to the Beecher Trail.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 56
•
Peterson Trail: This trail starts at the Lake Mitchell Trail and winds around
several wetlands before intersecting with the Bryan Trail and continuing through
the forest, crossing one more wetland, where it will end at the Singleton Trail.
•
Sherwood Trail: This short loop will start on the Rosie Trail and end on the
proposed Peterson Trail. The trial divides in the middle to offer both an easier
and a more challenging route.
•
Woodside Tree Trail: This trail will begin and end on the Boundary Trail. It is
meant as an educational trail for the students at Woodside School. It will loop
around a wetland before winding back and forth up the slopes to the Beecher
Trail. It will intersect the Beecher Trail twice and join with it for a short
distance before heading southeast to the Boundary Trail.
•
Drake Trail: This short trail will start on the Lake Mitchell Trail and climb a
small knoll to a proposed pavilion overlooking Lake Mitchell.
•
Chauncey Depew Explorer’s Trail: This interpretive trail will start at the
existing playground, loop around the Wading Pool and the statue of Chauncey
Depew, and overlook the proposed waterfall at the north end of Lake Mitchell.
The trail will continue down a slope to cross the existing wetland on a
proposed bridge and then will pass by the proposed Bird Blind, then continue
up a gentle slope, where it will branch into two segments. One segment will
head east to the Rotary Pavilion, picnic area, and basketball courts and the
other will travel toward the tennis courts and Hudson Avenue.
•
Athletic Trail: This loop will encircle the existing track and pool facilities. It
will start at the pool parking lot and head west along Bay Street and then north
along Depew Court. Then it will go behind the track grandstands, pass by a
small proposed gathering area, stay north of the track, and then follow Walnut
Drive back to the pool parking lot.
ADJACENT TRAIL NETWORK
The extensive trail system in Blue Mountain Reservation, to the south of Depew
Park, connects to the Peekskill-Briarcliff Trailway to southern Westchester
County and the Bronx.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 57
TRAIL SIGNAGE
Pedestrian Park Entrances
Depew Park is bordered on the north, east, and west sides by large residential
urban neighborhoods and to the south by Westchester County's Blue Mountain
Reservation. Depew Park is easily accessible by foot, and the current trailhead at
the southern end of Lake Mitchell is not sufficient access. There should be
trailheads at major trail intersections and at all parking areas.
The Sustainable Master Plan recommends that existing trails be marked with
standard Appalachian Trail blazes to complement the existing trail map. Two
types of trail signs will be used in the park: trailhead signs and trail intersection
signs.
Trailhead Signs
The trailhead signs will be made of aluminum on a steel I-beam set on top of a
small fieldstone wall. They will include the trail map and will have removable
seasonal inserts that illustrate animal and plant species that can be found along the
trails as well as local history facts. The trail heads will be located at the following
locations:
•
The existing Veteran’s Memorial Pool parking area.
•
The renovated Robin Drive parking area south of the maintenance facility.
•
The new Montross Drive Trailhead/Tennis Court Parking Area.
•
The Ferris Drive entrance.
•
The south end of Lake Mitchell near the proposed Council Ring.
•
Near the existing playground.
•
At the intersection of the Blue Mountain Access Trail and the Boundary Trail.
•
At the intersection of the Blue Mountain Summit Trail and the Boundary
Trail.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 58
Trail Intersection Signs
Refer to Depew Park Trail Master Plan for locations
The trail junction signs will be made of concrete with a galvanized steel band and
medallion. The steel band will name the trails with arrows pointing in the
direction of the trails and the medallion will be inscribed with the intersection
number corresponding to that on the trail map.
February 28, 2009
PAGE 59
Trailhead Sign (Alt. 1)
Trailhead Sign (Alt. 2)
February 28, 2009
PAGE 60
February 28, 2009
PAGE 61
February 28, 2009
PAGE 62
Trail Intersection Monument
February 28, 2009

DEPEW PARK Sustainable Master Plan

Transcription

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