Construction Underway In and Around Flint Park

by Judy Silberstein

A new path at the back of Flint Park connects to the Hommocks Conservation area and opens water views.

(August 23, 2007) While many residents are away on vacation, workers from Barreto Construction are rushing to complete the installation of a new sidewalk on Locust Avenue near the entrance of Flint Park before school starts. At the back of the park, other workers with Vernon Hills Contracting are busy installing a waterside path and plantings for the new environmental area before the weather turns uncooperative. The late summer push is a sign that the long-awaited renovation at Flint Park has begun in earnest.

Meanwhile, at the August 20 meeting of the Larchmont Village Board, Mayor Liz Feld provided updates on plans for the rest of Flint Park and countered what she said were inaccurate representations of what is being proposed.

One of the many feral felines who live in Flint Park admires the work of another CAT.

Sidewalks First

The new sidewalk and rules to restrict parking to one side of Locust Avenue are aimed at increasing safety for children walking to and from the Hommocks or Flint Park. Parents raised concerns about heavy traffic and speeding, among other issues, and questioned whether improvements at Flint Park would contribute additional traffic. The Village Board authorized $29K for the sidewalk and an additional $2K to create a grassy buffer between the sidewalk and the road.

Waterside Path

Already a new path of crushed rock lines the water's edge of Flint Park beginning from the southern edge (near Lindsley Drive) past the leaf composting area and sanitary sewer overflow facility to the north. The new path connects with the Town of Mamaroneck's trails that lead through tall grass into a forested area and a new observation deck. On Wednesday, August 22, flocks of egrets and a lonely, stooped-back blue heron could be seen taking advantage of the fishing in the marshy waters that flow out to Long Island Sound. The land between the path and the ball fields was being cleared and, eventually, there will be new plantings of native trees, bushes and grasses along with signage and benches to accompany the nature walk.

The ongoing $1.5 million environmental area project is the culmination of many years of planning that began to take shape in 2002 as part of then-Mayor Ken Bialo's proposal to rehabilitate the adjoining grass ball fields. Under Mayor Liz Feld, the previous plans are being folded into a larger project to add an artificial turf field along with new trees, bushes, paths, parking and picnic areas. The artificial field is slated to be installed before the grass fields get renovated.

The new environmental area path winds along the water at the back of Flint Park.

So When Will the Field Work Begin?

Mayor Liz Feld announced that the latest plans, presented at an August 6 work session, are available for viewing in the Village Hall conference room. There is still time for input as Larchmont waits for a series of approvals.

Updated Plans for Flint Park Artificial Field and Renovations: August 6, 2007. Click here for larger plan.

On July 23, the board unanimously approved an intermunicipal agreement in which Westchester County will provide $2.5 million from its Legacy Program in return for the Village assuming maintenance of a 1.1 mile stretch of Palmer Avenue and an obligation to develop 35 units of work force housing in the next 5 years. (See: VOL Accepts Bids, Approves County Agreement on Flint Park.) A vote by the Westchester County Board is scheduled for September 10. Since the new fields will require a slice of Mamaroneck land, the Town Board must also approve an intermunicipal agreement, an action likely to occur at their September 5 meeting.

Mayor Feld clarified a number of aspects of the plan. To set the record straight, she said, the new artificial field will not be elevated above its current grade, will not sit in a tidal wetland and will not require additional fill. The selected site is at the highest point of the park and has remained above water even in the extreme flooding experienced in recent months, she noted.

Mayor Feld did, however, confirm that the stand of mature trees that now create a green border between Flint Park and the Hommocks ball fields will be removed to make way for the new artificial turf field. At an August 6 work session, members of the Mamaroneck Town Board had been unpleasantly surprised to learn of the extent of tree removal that the plan requires. Mayor Feld said that many of the trees are in bad condition, and 200 new trees will be planted along the border and throughout the park.

The trees and tennis courts bordering Hommocks will be removed to make way for the new artificial turf field.

“We don’t want this to look like a stadium,” said Mayor Feld. The fence surrounding the field will only be 4 feet and there will be extensive landscaping. “It will be a vast, vast” improvement she said.

Other board members weighed in. “I’m surprised at the fear mongering I’ve heard from people who have not been at the many meetings,” said Trustee Richard Ward. According to Trustee Millstein, some people are calling the project a “complete disfigurement of Flint Park,” but the sports leagues, the neighbors, the Flint Park Conservancy, and Fields for Kids are “very excited" by the plan.

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