WPCNR THE SUNDAY BAILEY. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. August 12, 2007: WPCNR dropped in at Liberty Park last week, expecting perhaps to rent a rowboat, or to see picnickers enjoying themselves.  At 2 PM I only saw two persons using the park. Curious, I parked and walked in to the park, billed two years ago as White Plains “waterfront park” where you could ride paddle boats and rowboats, even, as I recall take kayak lessons -- hike, and enjoy nature.

I saw why no one uses Liberty Park today.

Liberty Park, August 5, 2007 -- Three Persons were using the park as of 2 PM. No activities.

Geese calling Cards There for Weeks.

You would not want to walk in Liberty Park today, let alone picnic on the grass. 

Goose Park. August 12, 2007 Geese lounge at Liberty Park, fowling the grounds.

The park grounds are fouled with geese droppings,  feathers, and goose excrement over the brick path, on the trimmed grass. No one would want to spread a blanket on those grounds to picnic. There is the smell of dried goose feces in the air.  No mother would want her child crawling on the grass because it is littered with Canadian Geese calling cards.

When I visited last Sunday,  and this morning, no boats were being rented. The lake was befouled with algae growing up from its bottom, just like last summer.  No kayaks were being paddled. No paddle boats paddling to be seen. Rowboats were tied up at the docks but not used. This Sunday I returned and the boats had been put away, and a stagnant slime was in the middle of the lake. The algae bloom from the bottom of the lake is clearly visible about the dock this morning.

The $500,000 boondoggle.

When the City of White Plains leased this from Westchester County for a dollar a year for thirty years in exchange for building the 17 affordable housing units at Horton’s Mills adjacent the park, Mayor Joseph Delfino touted this park as a waterfront playground for city residents, promising boating, picnicking and trails.

 He unveiled plans for an $800,000 waterfront, including a fishing dock (which has not been built), in addition to the waterfront boat rental. Well the city spent $500,000 plus of taxpayers money to clean up the park, install the dock and prepare the present grounds which are now unusable.

How do we know that? On an 80 degree summer day, one person was using the park. No hiking trails were marked to attract hikers. On top of that the boat concessions are not in action. And the lake continues to be algae blocked.

Last summer the lake was closed due to a raw sewage leak from the Harrison side.

The city has apparently neglected the park that they created just prior to Mayor Delfino’s reelection bid in 2002, in time for the 2003 election. Now it has been forgotten, apparently, another season lost.

Whatever Happened to the Rest of Liberty Park? This was the original $1,000,000 Plan.

I called Commissioner of Recreation and Parks, Arne Abramowitz to find out why the rowboats and paddle boats were not in action, and why the goose leavings were not cleaned out of the grounds. Mr. Abamowitz did not return my call.

I called the Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti, and asked what his plans were to deal with the algae blooms, and no raw sewage leak causing them this year, (that we know of). The Commissioner had indicated he was considering introducing carp to eat the algae last year. WPCNR left a message with the Commissioner’s secretary and how he can get back to us to explain how he plans to deal with the algae problem next year – or whether the park will be open for boating this fall when the algae disappears.

Slime on the water August 12, 2007

Nevertheless, to spend $500,000 on a park and let it fall into this unattractive, unappetizing state, indicates perhaps that the city simply is not knowledgeable enough to be in the parks business.

James Benerofe, whose firm owns a large office park in Harrison said they had a similar problem with geese, and they were able to discourage the geese from landing by placing statues of coyotes on the grounds. 

It appears that the City of White Plains Recreation Department simply does not have the expertise to keep Liberty Park appealing to its citizens.

The lake is dirtier now than it was when Councilman William King helped clean it up in 2002. What is causing the algae in Silver Lake now? It’s another White Plains mystery.

Will White Plains ever master the ecology and clean up the shame of Liberty Park?

The citizens should demand it.