Rye to Build Athletic Field on State Thurway Land - Key Approval Secured

Always short on athletic fields, the Rye recreation department will - if all goes as planned - add a tenth field to its collection.

On Friday, Rye Mayor Steve Otis announced that the Board of Directors of the NYS Thruway Authority voted to approve leasing a vacant 4.7- acre parcel on the Boston Post Road to the City for 15 years for use as an athletic field. The land is directly across from Rye Country Day School on the right as you are driving from Rye towards Portchester and the Kohl's shopping center.

The Thruway Authority Board determined that the project qualified for a substantially below market lease because it will be used for a municipal public purpose. For the first two years the payment will be $1 per year as the field will not have been completed. Mayor Otis told MyRye.com the annual rent will be substantially below market value because of the public use and will not exceed $30,000 a year with no escalations. The primary project costs will be the construction of the field.

Initially The Thruway Authority originally offered a mere License but Rye contended that was not practicable. They then suggested ten years but Rye requested a longer term and finally agreed on fifteen years. 

The  City staff worked with the Mayor and the Thruway Authority in developing initial site surveys, plans for the parcel and background information for the approval. The site will allow the construction of one rectangular playing field that will accommodate soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and football. The City of Rye Recreation Department currently operates nine playing fields.

The initial plan for the site includes a reconfigured intersection at the Boston Post Road and Cedar Street, parking and a restroom. The City will work with user groups, the City of Rye Recreation Commission and the public to raise funds to build the field. With the approval by the Thruway Authority Board now completed, a contract will be drafted by the Thruway Authority staff.

The approval was ratified at the Thruway Authority’s June 25th Board meeting. “The Thruway Authority’s vote culminates a three year effort on our part to lease this field in order to provide another athletic field for the public. We thank the board and staff of the NYS Thruway Authority for their willingness to lease this unused property for municipal use. Their support has been tremendous,”
said Otis. “I also want to thank Rye resident Richard Runes who played a key role in volunteering his time to negotiate the approval of the Thruway Authority.”

The parcel has been sought by the City of Rye as an athletic field since the mid 1990’s. At that time Mayor Ted Dunn sought purchase of the property from the state. Mayor Otis also pursued acquisition of the property in the late 1990’s. At the time the Thruway Authority determined that they did not want to sell the property. Three years ago Mayor Otis began discussions with the Thruway Authority regarding a long-term lease to allow the City to use the field through the City of Rye Recreation Department.

Comments

[Jim Amico]

For those of you who haven't seen the most recent council meeting; Since Mr. Cunningham was so kind to point out that "THIS IS A PROCESS" we can now make this point clear.

Everything takes time and there is always a process of some sort involved no matter what the subject. I do Professional Detailing for a living and I have a "PROCESS" which by the way should not be confused with the term EXCUSE!

The article stated that "3 years ago Mayor Otis began discussions".

Hey isn't that around the same time a little boy was killed on one of his streets?

Though I do not doubt things take time and there is always process involved, what I want to know is how Mayor Otis prioritizes???

A stupid Athletic Field is more important than the SAFETY and LIVES of our children?

It took 3 years for Mayor Otis to complete this contract, his PET PROJECT, and now going on 4 years there are NO MAJOR CHANGES on Midland Ave. No new Stop Sign, No new CrossWalks, No Police Speed Enforcement.

Mayor Otis and his staff have been working hard for "THE LAST 12 YEARS" on coming up with a solution to the Dangers @ the Sonn Dr./BPR Intersection, SO THEY SAY!
And yet, there is not even a temporary solution!
OH YA, their working hard at it alright???

CAN ANYONE POINT OUT THE DEFINITION OF "PRIORITIZE" for our MAYOR?

Charmian,
I was just reading your defense of Lt.Falk and your comparison to your husband. I'm curious, was your Husband doing this instead of doing his job while he was on the job?
I'm sure the NYC Tax Payers would not appreciate your husband hanging out at Orchard Beach while he is on duty and a crime is taking place in his own backyard!

[Mimi Otis]

Charmian:

Are you related to Westchester Judge Robert Neary?

I believe I read that when Neary was a prosecutor he was one of the prosecutors in the Deskovic rape/murder case. That was the case where Mr. Deskovic spent 15 years in jail as an innocent man.

I believe I read in the NY Times where you were the alleged victim of an alleged sexual harassment while working up in Albany? Did you ever run into Otis up there?

Anyway, I am sure you can sympathize with the alleged victims of the alleged sexual abuse victim and alleged rape victim of Rye Police Lt. John McCarthy as well as the alleged victim of alleged sexual abuse committed by Rye Police Lt. Joe Verille.

[NoDoubt]

Charmian,
Get fully educated before defending someone such as Falk. No one insinuated he was committing a crime. Gawking @ women on my dollar instead of doing his job is not acceptable,especially when it is over & over & over,etc.!!! I'm here to tell you LT.FALK HAS NEVER BEEN RESPONSIVE TO ME..... NEVER!!!!!!!
HE IS A $3 BILL FROM THE WORD GO!!!

[Charmian Neary]

Hello Scooter, I really don't know the Commissioner, and I like to offer an informed opinion.
I'm glad you clarified that I refer to unfair police bashing - I'm all for criticism when warranted. Just ask my husband.
And just for the record, it's Charmian, not Charmain. :-)

[Scooter]

Charmain -

Does your attitude about unfair police bashing extend to the commissioner as well?

[Charmian Neary]

If your yard looks as bad as you say, why don't you do something about it, rather than "rant" (your word) about a valuable ordinance in a community where people care about their lungs?
The Rye Police Department is, I'm sure, not thrilled to enforce the leaf blower law. My husband is a retired NYPD detective 1st Grade. I can tell you he and most of his peers would rather be locking up criminals than ticketing landscapers. It is not about power going to their heads. That is an unfair statement and paints every man and woman on the force with the same broad brush.
If the Rye police did not issue tickets, as last year was the "warning" year and this year, believe me, the landscapers know all about this prohibition, citizens like me would be on the phone to Lt. Falk complaining.
The Rye police have to answer to all of us, and for every citizen like you who is annoyed at having to rake their own lawn, there is someone like me who is pleased that Rye is a little less noisy and a little less polluted at least for a few months each Summer.
On a related subject, because I've seen some disparaging comments on other stories, I feel a need to say here that Lt. Falk has always been responsive to me when I've called and I have close friends who feel the same. I like that he's out and around in the community. I don't know what the "young boys" remarks are about - anonymous bloggers can get quite nasty - but it is not a crime to find women at the beach attractive. My husband enjoyed that aspect of an otherwise difficult and stressful job. I left the city every year, for example, on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Seinfeld even wrote an episode about that "extravaganza" - which people like me avoid like the plague. My dear husband, stalwart that he is, would actually volunteer to work that day if he wasn't scheduled. I think it might have had something to do with a half million beautiful young women dressed for warm weather, but who cares? His arrest record was impeccable, DAs knew his charges stuck, and he got drug dealers, thieves, and even killers locked up. Remarks like those about Lt. Falk would have to apply to my husband as well, and my husband was an honest, hard working, productive public servant for 20 years.
My point is this police bashing is not fair. When Rye police fall short I am the first to speak up, much to my husband's chagrin, you can count on that. It is when they are criticized broadly and anonymously, like you just did, for enforcing a law a majority of Rye taxpayers support, that I defend them. It isn't about power...it's about breathing...and we want this law here in Rye.

[Leaf Blow Me]

How many warnings do you need???? You know about the law. I know about the law. Shouldn't the landscapers know about it also?

NO MORE WARNINGS!!!

[*Diamond Girl*]

Give me a brake!RYE DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER PLAYING FIELD. How can anyone with a brain (I use that term lightly) think that we do. There has never been one day (not one) where all the fields were filled with game players. There is always, always, at least one or two fields vacant. So why do we need a new one?
Oh, and while I'm at it. What the hell is the leaf blower law all about? My yard looks like s--t, since that law was passed.
But I digress: the real reason for my rant regarding the leaf blowers is: What is with the RPD and their habit of issuing tickets to landscapers for a first time offense instead of a warning.
Power goes to their heads.

[Independence Daze]

NEWS FLASH!!!!!

Ray- there is an article in today's JN about the fields. Quick -- add a link about HealTheHarbor. Who cares that the article has NOTHING to do with your "cause."

C'mon Ray...you're slipping. Don't bypass this opportunity to embarrass both Rye and yourself!!!

[Fed Up]

That's an eyefull Ray Charles - and all so awfully and unfortunately true.

Watch as the Albany Boy Clown wheels out his grand reelection platform real soon. Oh lucky us and how we all benefit from his years of dedicated service...puke.