A Re-Built Gould Park Is Ready To Play

Published 3 weeks ago3w ago • Bookmarks: 121

The renovated Gould Park as seen looking west from the intersection of Ashford and Washington

September 18, 2024

By Jeff Wilson–

It was a transformation worth waiting for.

Dobbs Ferry’s Gould Park was the scene of a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 16 celebrating the park’s grand reopening – with upgrades – after structural work had forced its closure for nearly a year. On hand for the festivities were Dobbs Ferry Mayor Vincent Rosillo, joined by other Village officials, trustees, local government leaders and engineers and construction executives actually responsible for the park’s improvements.

Support our Sponsors

Upgrades include a staircase and ADA ramp leading down to the park from Ashford Avenue, relocation of the basketball court, new paths, improved lighting, new sod and irrigation, storm drainage structures and water refill station. Ashford Avenue got a new retaining wall plus new sidewalk and curbs. Underground were major structural alterations: an elaborate new drainage system to carry water runoff away from the park and Ashford Avenue, which can become impassable for both vehicles and pedestrians during heavy rains.

Mayor Rossillo (front row, second from right in white shirt) leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony

The mayor opened the event by acknowledging all the contributors, beginning with Westchester County Legislator David Imamura and Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner (who’d just rolled in on his 10-speed bicycle). “We put this project out to bid in October 2023. Here we are in September with a beautiful, beautiful park.” He noted that “major, major work” was needed on the infrastructure beneath to prevent flooding. But the work didn’t stop there. “We also put in enough infrastructure that we now have the ability to connect to other parts of the village that we hope will keep those areas from flooding as well,” he declared. After touting many of the park’s new appointments, the mayor gathered everyone around him as he wielded giant scissors and, to great fanfare, cut the ribbon to officially reopen the park.

In a subsequent interview, Anthony Oliveri, Vice President of AI Engineers, the project’s designer, discussed the major obstacles that confronted the team. “Some of the subsurface conditions were unexpected. There was more groundwater than anticipated,” requiring extra resources and pumping. “More dry fill materials, such as crushed stone and gravel, were required,” he added. “We had to wait for the water to recede,” offered Carmine Mairano, Key Principal of Avanti Construction, which did the groundwork. The additional tasks raised costs and moved the completion date back, resulting in the village having to abandon its hopes of reopening the park in time for this year’s Memorial Day weekend.

The new, more user-friendly basketball court

What do the park’s users think? Thomas, a teenager playing basketball with a friend, praised the new court—if not for its aesthetics, it’s a dazzling two-toned blue – then for its user-friendliness. “The sun doesn’t get in your eyes,” he reported, in a vote of approval of the village’s wise decision to build the new court facing in a north/south direction, rather than east/west, as the old court was situated. Thomas’s friend gave a thumbs-up to the new rims, which he contended are superior to the much-maligned double hoops from the previous court.

Village Administrator Robert Yamuder, who spent many hours on site throughout the construction, maintained that the project was a group venture. “It was a concerted effort of all the departments,” he said, “especially the mayor and Board of Trustees, for the enjoyment of all parkgoers in Dobbs Ferry.”

Read or leave a comment on this story...

Support our Sponsors