Ossining Boat Club Objects to Looming Loss of Winter Storage Space

The Town of Ossining held a town hall-style meeting in July where Supervisor Susanne Donnelly discussed ideas for the future of Louis Engel Waterfront Park, from a community-built stage to a water recycling system for the spray-ground. Her plans also included conducting a feasibility study for redevelopment of the riverfront which would likely most impact the Ossining Boat Club now leasing a parcel of prized public parkland from the town.

The club stands to see their building razed to make way for potential restaurant sometime down the road. While Donnelly proposed that the higher-elevation building could house the boat club on its first floor and the restaurant on the second, the members worried this space would prove inadequate for their needs.

And a closer threat: Donnelly proposed to club-members in a new short-term lease agreement that the winter boat storage area they now use would be closed effective Oct. 31. At first, the proposal included some alternative land: boats on trailers could make their way about three miles from the waterfront to a wooded area in town-owned Cedar Lane Park. However, as of this week, this offer was withdrawn with no replacement site.

Club members have issued a press release in protest, cataloguing their long history – since their 1915 foundation – of providing essential river access at a low cost to Ossining residents.

“We aren’t against change,” said the club’s Commodore, Tom Earle. “However, the proposal to take away our last small bit of winter boat storage is unnecessary, and it will have a near immediate negative impact on our membership numbers, and on the character and nature of our operation.”

While Donnelly mentioned the restaurant as a way to fund the space without tax dollars, the members make a point of emphasizing that they never reach out for town assistance. They run self-sufficiently from the volunteer efforts of their members. They say they even fully recovered from the damages of Hurricane Sandy without any aid.

It is Sandy and the anticipation of future storms like it however that may have sealed their fate. Donnelly wrote in her regular email update to citizens of her fear for inevitable super-storms to come.

“Our waterfront has been recently designated a “V Zone” by FEMA, which means that the area is at serious risk for major flooding,” She said. “This building is owned by the Town, which makes us responsible for damages in the case of a disaster. Due to the building’s inclusion in the new FEMA mapped area, the Town can no longer recoup funding from FEMA in the event of damage, and the cost of flood insurance will become prohibitively expensive ($10,000+ annually).”

She hopes a restaurant here sharing the space would bring in more visitors and interest in the waterfront. “With the spectacular location, it is sure to be a desirable location for a top chef to work, and for all the residents and visitors of Ossining to explore,” she said.

Members find this all only speculative at this point and don’t want to lose land in the meantime.

“We struggle to keep it affordable for everyone,” says Rear Commodore Gary Scherer. “Many members simply can’t afford to store their boats at other locations or are unable to take them home... We understand that changes may occur on our waterfront in the future, but now isn’t the time to take away boating access with no clear plans ahead and without community input.”

What do you think? What would you like to see happen on the riverfront?

For more information on the club visit obcc.org.