Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Snubs Ball Fields in Mohegan
The Yorktown Parks and Recreation Advisory Board unanimously voted last Thursday to move forward with a new plan for the former Holland Sporting Club site in Mohegan Lake.
The plan, created by contractor Patrick Cumiskey and other community members, does not include all-purpose ball fields that Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace envisioned.
The idea for ball fields originated after the town learned it would receive a donation of 86,000 yards of fill from the state Department of Transportation. Grace and other Town Board members felt the Holland Club site would be an ideal place to use the fill.
Cumiskey, who presented the proposal to the advisory board at Sparkle Lake, highlighted a few proposed attractions that community members could enjoy. Among them were basketball courts, volleyball courts, a children’s playground and even a new parking lot where the tennis courts are.
“There’s a gazebo around the existing chimney and a walking path or trail along the entire park,” he said. The proposal also includes the renovation of several park benches.
Cumiskey conceded he was not opposed to the idea ball fields, but would have liked to see more thought put into it. One of the obstacles he mentioned were the cliffs within the property.
“You don’t want to have a kid running after a ball and falling off a cliff,” he said with a chuckle.
Evan Bray, author of the” Save Mohegan Lake” blog and an announced Town Board candidate, shared Cumiskey’s sentiments with the ball fields.
“It was well intentioned, but out of touch with the sentiment of the community and would have been an inappropriate use of that unique landscape,” he said. “It’s very steep and rocky. The proposal I saw looks appropriate for the site.”
Cumiskey, whose house is across the street from the park, believes his proposed plan is a better fit for the residential community.
“This is a little more passive and a little less noise. The parking we propose will alleviate the need to park on the street,” he said.
Cumiskey mentioned excessive parking, along with foot traffic, on his street have been a problem in the past. The Town Board ultimately will make the final decision for the property.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.