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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Some parents, including Nim Loughlin, a White Plains resident, say the city made a wrong move by converting four city-owned tracts into parkland at last week's Common Council meeting.
"There's a lot of that stuff. I don't think it's necessary. We need more playgrounds with fences like this," said Loughlin as she watched her four-year-old daughter, Saira, play at Gillie Park. "Just because there's a lot of kids in White Plains. When they're little like a year-and-a-half or two and running around it lets parents talk while watching that the kids aren't running out into the street."
The Common Council unanimously voted to add approximately 4.34 acres of parkland to the citys map last Tuesday. A 1.74-acre stretch of wetlands area near the intersection of Havilands Lane and Ridgeway has been marked a park, and may later be used to connect the Ridgeway walking trail to the Maplemoore Golf Course.
The Jacob Purdy House, which is a nationally recognized historic building, now has an additional 1,000-foot buffer since 62 to 68 Park Ave. was designated a park. Another open space strip now runs along the eastern side of Mamaroneck Ave from Meadow Way to Carrigan Avenue.
White Plains has also added 1.09 acres of open space near the intersection of Francis Avenue and Bernard Place, which extends into an open space corridor just north of the intersection.
The council previously considered turning 60 to 78 Farview Ave. into parkland, however, the Planning Board advised the city that other measures may better protect a mature urban forest sprouting up near Church Street Elementary School.
The additional parkland appealed to residents like Toby and Larry Deutchman, who said construction has built up a lot of White Plains since they moved to the city 15 years ago.
Its a good thing to do. It gives people a nice place to go and be peaceful. There is enough traffic and enough commerce going on that it balances, said Toby Deutchman. I dont like to see everything taken up by stores and buildings. One of the reasons people move here is to get away from all that.
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