Letter: Plenty Has Been Done to Fix Rye Town Park

The recent article on Rye Town Park mentioned, but did not fully communicate, the scale of investment that is needed to reverse the toll taken by weather and time over decades of neglect.
Bathroom stalls in Rye Town Park are sectioned off
Photo Alison Rodilosso

To the Editor:

The recent article in The Rye Record on Rye Town Park, “Park Facilities in Shambles,” did not indicate all the work that has been done in recent years or is in the pipeline. It mentioned, but did not fully communicate, the scale of investment that is needed to reverse the toll taken by weather and time over decades of neglect.

There are four principal structures in the park: 1) the bathhouse (no towers), 2) the restaurant, 3) the pavilions (two adjoining), and 4) the tower building. The bathhouse in recent years has received a new roof ($767,000), new windows, and exterior stucco repairs ($532,000), and is to receive an interior renewal (including bathrooms) at the estimated cost of $922,000, beginning as soon as anticipated grant documentation is complete.

Below the bathhouse and accessible from the beach are the so-called “tunnel bathrooms,” under reconstruction (to be completed at a cost of $551,000) in the next month or two. The retaining wall adjacent to the bathhouse that has supported the outdoor showers is in need of restoration (at an estimated cost of $550,000) and is the subject of grant applications.

The bathhouse details alone may give you a sense of what we are up to, and up against. Cost of restaurant building repairs are split between park and tenant, according to contract, and both parties have invested. The pavilions are in need of roof repairs, in part underway. The tower building is a conundrum. It is an architectural landmark and emblematic of the park. But its layout makes it difficult to use and the cost of its renewal is very high. The renovated bathhouse could absorb the administrative functions now housed in the tower building, leaving the tower building open for, and in need of, other use. That use should be chosen and planned before substantial funds are invested.

The two municipal budgets that bear the costs of the park are those of the city of Rye and the town of Rye. The city, of course, is involved in its own capital renewal program involving tens of millions of dollars and more than a decade of planning and work. As park commissioners, part of our work has been to make sure that park financial needs are well-considered and can find a place in the city budget. Park Commission President Gary Zuckerman and staff are working to better refine the park’s spending program and synchronize it with the city’s. This year, for the second time, the city is inviting the park to make a presentation in the city’s budget process, with a view to creating fair mutual expectations.

The description of improvements above did not mention the new seawall (done), the ADA concrete beach access ramps with beach access mats for wheelchairs (done), or other myriad improvements. We hope that each of these things, in addition to the needed building repairs, will make the park ever-more enjoyable.

-Mayor Josh Cohn and Emily Hurd, Rye Town Park Commission members

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