Rye Town Park is about to cash in on millions from the state to cleanup some of its flooding concerns.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month announced her administration would allocate $8.1 million to the Rye Town Park Sustainability Project – as part of a larger $61 million investment to flood-prone communities across the state.
“This $8.1 million investment through the Environmental Bond Act for the Rye Town Park Sustainability Project will help us combat flooding, enhance our community’s climate resiliency, and help protect our precious Sound Shore,” said Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman. “This kind of alliance between state and town governments is making possible smart, sustainable investments.”
The Rye Town Park Sustainability Project will incorporate various improvements to create a safer, more sustainable park and beach, according to town officials.
Currently, stormwater from Rye Town Park’s surrounding neighborhood runs through two pipes into the pond that sits in the middle of the Dearborn Avenue park, according to Rye Town Administrator Debbie Reisner.
From there, the water was originally designed to flow through a pipe underground to the adjoining Oakland Beach. But during heavier rain events the pond floods – not just because of the volume, but also due to the underground pipe having been overtaken by roots.
The overflow, as result, runs on top of the ground surface down to the beach’s sand before it ends up in the Long Island Sound, carrying with it any debris it picks up along the way, Reisner said.
With the grant money, Reisner said the town is hopeful that they can mitigate some of the flooding. The project includes capturing water from the storm pipes and re-routing it under the park’s parking lot to a drain on Dearborn Avenue, and building a new, more absorbent stream bed from the Rye Town Park pond to the beach.
The town of Rye launched the plans for the project back in 2021, after Hurricane Ida devastated the area. The town has been applying for grants to get the project funded ever since.
“The first thing is it took my breath away, and then I felt elated because there’s been so much work and so much perseverance applied to projects that I deeply believed in,” Reisner told The Record.
She credits Zuckerman for applying for grants for the project year after year.
The $8.1 million from the state will cover about 90 percent of the projected $9 million project cost, Reisner said.
Rye City Councilwoman Jamie Jensen praised the Rye Town Park Commission, which governs the park, for seeking the state funding.
“The big picture is to keep our shoreline and sound cleaner while managing storm water better,” she said.
The Green Resiliency Grant program launched in 2024 as part of Hochul’s State of the State initiative, with $60 million awarded in its first round. The grants are administered by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation.
“Too many communities have experienced the devastation of severe flooding, and that’s why we’re investing in resiliency initiatives to protect vulnerable areas and make our state stronger and more resilient,” Hochul said.
Rye Town Park’s grant is one of eight stormwater infrastructure projects statewide that emphasize nature-based solutions to manage stormwater, ease pressure on wastewater systems, and shield neighborhoods from severe storms.
Mount Vernon was the only other Westchester community to receive a grant – $4.4 million for its Brush Park Green Infrastructure Project.
– Andi Hessekiel contributed to this report
