Commodore's Report

A Busy June - More to Come in July
A lot is happening at the YPRC. The Tuesday Evening members’ paddles and pot-luck dinners have drawn a crowd. Special thanks to House Captain Frank Horvath who organizes the weekly paddle, grill chef Arnie Adler, and paper-goods food wrangler Jody Ferguson and the many others who help out.  There is always plenty to eat and drink after an energetic early evening paddle.
Skills class are going on with instructor Chevaughn Dixon and on Wednesday evenings with Jack Gilman. For those with a competitive spirit, there is a racing fitness class on Saturday mornings with Nancy Kalafus and Bob Morrow.   Check the YPRC Calendar for trips led by Phil Giller and Lee Riser. The Manhattan Kayak Circumnavigation will take place on July 9 (You must have already registered to participate.)


7th Annual Yonkers Triyakathon
Get out your bike and put on your running shoes for the 7th Annual Yonkers Triyakathon on Saturday, July 16. We co-sponsor this event with the Yonkers Bike Club and it’s always a good time, including the beer afterwards. The cost is $30 and you can register at http://www.yonkersbikeclub.org/.  For a limited number of YPRC members who volunteer to help with the kayaks, the registration fee is waived.


NO HELIPORT IN YONKERS!
Talk about asinine ideas! A helicopter ride business being chased out of NYC by angry residents wants to move to Yonkers and set up a helipad on the Hudson just north of the Ludlow Park neighborhood. The backwash from takeoffs and landings every 5 minutes would make paddling south on the river impossible. The noise would make living in the Ludlow community unbearable and bring to a screeching halt development of parks and property south along the river. YPRC members Bob Morrow, Paul Meisner and I testified at a City Council Public Hearing and along with several dozen others made clear what a bad idea this was. The City appears ready to ban heliports in Yonkers. If you live in Yonkers call your Council member and tell them what a terrible idea this is. 


HARBOR ESTUARY PROGRAM VISITS YONKERS
Representatives of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program spoke at CURB on June 23 and described their efforts to build awareness of the importance of the estuary to our communities, environment and economy. Among their goals are increasing public access to the waterfront  and improving the health of the estuary. They have an information packed website with a great deal of information on the current status of the estuary and the potential impact of climate change. I encourage you to check it out:  http://www.harborestuary.org/


STATUS OF THE COLLINS PROJECT
Initial construction efforts are proceeding on a residential tower just south of the Alexander Street Boathouse. Part of the City’s agreement with the tower’s developer is a commitment to replace the pier in front of the Boathouse.  Initial plans called for a 20’ wide pier that would serve as a public walkway and a launch area for us. The State Department of Environmental Conservation rejected that plan. Without consulting either Westchester County or us, Collins re-submitted a proposal for a 10’ wide pier. Both we and the County have made clear that 10’ is clearly insufficient for either a walkway or launch area, let alone both. As of now a permit for a new pier is on hold while we, the County and Collins try to work out an acceptable solution. I want to thank ex-Commodore John Maggiotta who has participated with Vice -Commodore Phil Giller, Treasurer Peter Riley  and myself in these various meetings and discussions. We will keep you posted.


Bill Dennison, Commodore