The Great Right Here: Opening of Sunny Ridge Park
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April 11, 2008
by David Swope
My family has lived here a long time. In 1956 we moved from the Teatown area to the house on Hawkes Avenue.
When mother died, in 1999, my sister Dorry and I realized that we didn’t want to have the property behind her house developed. I got in touch with Clinton Smith, town supervisor at the time, and asked whether the town would accept a gift of 33 acres. The drawback was that the property was “landlocked,” without access from a main roadway. Clinton and the Town board not only said yes, but proceeded to acquire access to this land from Route 134.
In fact, the Board of New Castle went further and purchased an additional 41 acre parcel which not only provided access but also included Purdy’s Pond. The town then acquired eight additional acres to the west. Together these parcels form the 82 acre Sunny Ridge Park, opening this week.
New Castle environmental coordinator, Steve Coleman, and college student interns spent two summers developing the trail network that now enters from Route 134. I cut down a large stand of hemlocks that had died and Steve used the trunks to mark the trails. One trail circles Purdy’s Pond, one climbs Sunny Ridge and offers a surprise view of the Hudson (the purple trail on the town’s map of the park—click here ). The Ridge Trail makes a loop over Sunny Ridge with a spur that descends to Spring Valley Road, across from Teatown’s Glendale Swamp.
Chance to connect trails
I’m especially happy about the opening of Sunny Ridge because I’ve been interested in securing open space in this area for a long, long time and one of the Sunny Ridge trails connects Sunny Ridge to Teatown’s trail system.
The Town’s commitment and contribution to open space in this area is wonderful. The Town also owns the nearby Amsterdam and Warburg properties. Saturday’s opening of Sunny Ridge is the culmination of a great deal of foresight and hard work. Now people will be able to experience its beautiful trails and vistas.
David Swope, a resident of the West End of New Castle, is the founder of Club Fit. Over the years he has served on the boards of Teatown Lake Reservation, the Jacob Burns Center and Westchester Community College Foundation.
[Editor’s Note: The ceremonies begin at Sunny Ridge on Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. sharp. An hour-long group trail walk will follow immediately. Parking is very limited, so take advantage of town-provided buses leaving from town hall at 9:30 a.m. and the Millwood Fire House at 9:45 a.m.]
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