We are in support of GI town boards vote of no closure of the WestRiver Parkway

Don't fix what isn't broken!

Closing the Parkway will cause safety issues on the Service Road. Bikers love it just the way it is! Hundreds of people use the Parkway to get to work and that increased traffic will cause additional problems on all area roads. This is a border between Canada and the United States, patrolled multiple times daily by the Border Patrol, NY State Police and NY State Parks Police. Closing the parkway will block their access. The State has broken every promise to the West River Homeowners since they took the land by eminent domain, now they want to save money. Do Not Close the Parkway it should remain open and maintained by the State, year round, which includes cutting the grass, keeping the Overlooks clean and plowing the snow, making the river front accessible to everyone, year round. Snowmobilers love it, duck hunters love it. sailboarders love it, kayakers love it, fishermen love it, and the homeowners LOVE IT JUST THE WAY IT IS!

It's already open to the public. West River is already naturally beautiful.

I vote "no". The cons are farther out weighing the pros. The state took the parkway with eminent domain. The cannot benefit years later by reuse. The Stste doesn't even properly maintain the land...the homeowners do. The parkway is a road used by all to get from north end to the south end. The state should step up and do the right thing for all by keeping it open and leaving the beauty of west River intact.

9 years ago Featured

This area has been open to the public since 1952 when eminent domain took it from the home owners. Bikes, horseback riding, snow mobiles, dirt bikes and walkers have been using it just the way it is. Go to DeVeaux in NF and see how the Robert Moses Pkwy closed for bike path. It is in disrepair and over grown.

I vote "NO" to closing the parkway!

Don't close the Parkway, and quite frankly, don't even build the bike path at this point (which I am in favor of, just not design #3), let the grant $ go. Have you ever been enticed by a really good sale on something you kinda want but know you really don't need? Then when that opportunity has passed and you think: "so glad I didn't spend my $ on that." That's what I'm hoping for right now. On Aug. 22, at the West River Home Owners Association meeting there was much discussion about the concerns of the residents. Before the conclusion of the meeting, the members voted on a motion to oppose the closure of the Parkway: 127 agreed, 4 opposed, 5 abstained; thus the motion was carried by an overwhelming percentage. I personally found this a little surprising since what I'm hearing and reading is that those opposed to the closure of the Parkway have been described as the "disgruntled few." The concerns addressed during that meeting were mostly over safety, need, ultimate use, and about the way this entire project is being handled by the decision makers. It seems to me there is a lot of mis-information going around. For one: the Parkway is not closed in the winter, just not plowed by the state. Vehicles still use it during those months, fewer when it's impassable (some still try, I've seen them), more when there is no or little snow, myself included. VERY IMPORTANT: the waterfront is already available to the public! I've heard many people calling for this space to made open to the public, it already is. No one is being selfish by opposing the closure of the Parkway, which is in my opinion a very lovely scenic drive, much like the drive along the Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls, but with two important differences; (1)The Robert Moses Parkway adjacent to Grand Island is in an industrial area for the most part, not residential, and (2) more importantly, the view is completely unobstructed, whereas along West River on Grand Island, the majority of the view is obstr

Don't close the Parkway, and quite frankly, don't even build the bike path at this point (which I am in favor of, just not design #3), let the grant $ go. Have you ever been enticed by a really good sale on something you kinda want but know you really don't need? Then when that opportunity has passed and you think: "so glad I didn't spend my $ on that." That's what I'm hoping for right now. On Aug. 22, at the West River Home Owners Association meeting there was much discussion about the concerns of the residents. Before the conclusion of the meeting, the members voted on a motion to oppose the closure of the Parkway: 127 agreed, 4 opposed, 5 abstained; thus the motion was carried by an overwhelming percentage. I personally found this a little surprising since what I'm hearing and reading is that those opposed to the closure of the Parkway have been described as the "disgruntled few." The concerns addressed during that meeting were mostly over safety, need, ultimate use, and about the way this entire project is being handled by the decision makers. It seems to me there is a lot of mis-information going around. For one: the Parkway is not closed in the winter, just not plowed by the state. Vehicles still use it during those months, fewer when it's impassable (some still try, I've seen them), more when there is no or little snow, myself included. VERY IMPORTANT: the waterfront is already available to the public! I've heard many people calling for this space to made open to the public, it already is. No one is being selfish by opposing the closure of the Parkway, which is in my opinion a very lovely scenic drive, much like the drive along the Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls, but with two important differences; (1)The Robert Moses Parkway adjacent to Grand Island is in an industrial area for the most part, not residential, and (2) more importantly, the view is completely unobstructed, whereas along West River on Grand Island, the majority of the view is obstr

Crazy. The state has never been a great custodian of the West River. Now we want to give it to the State Parks? How is Beaver Island looking? BAD. That's what West River looks like now and it will look bad when the Parks dept is taking care of it as well. The homeowners have been taking care of the Parkway for years and years. What happened to the idea of selling the land back to the homeowners? This will generate tax dollars for the town and the state. The West river homeowners have been getting the bad end of the deal for years! How about just widening the current path on the service road (already labeled BIKE PATH) now and be done with it. Many people use the 55 mile Road to get to the thruway. Has there been a study at all on the businesses on Staley Rd and how many of them use it? There will be so much traffic on the service road daily if the parkway closes. How about the State does what they are supposed to do when they took away the land and maintain it? They need to use the 2.5 million to trim the trees, do the grass and pave the road! Has anyone asked what the residents of River Rd across from Niawanda Park feel about their park? Bet they hate it! Will we have police to police it? Will someone pick up the garbage that undoubtedly end up in the West River home owners lawns? I am sure NO. Again we are disappointed in the government process. Mark Merletti, Grand Island Resident for my whole life.

The State of NY does not take care of the parks, now we are going to entrust them with the bike path? It will be a mess! The residents of West River have had to take care of the grass ect for years, and the State of NY has done nothing for them. Now they want to put a path in front of their houses with all access. How do you think the residents of Niawanda and Isle View like their bike path? Has anyone asked them? All of the noise and garbage thrown on their lawns daily. This is what it will be like! Why not widen the already existing path on the service road and leave the Parkway alone! Use the money to trim the trees and do the lawn for the next 10 years! What happened to the idea Senator Grisanti had for selling the property back to the homeowners that was taken by the State for eminent domain? Our home was one of the homes that was moved. We should be given the opportunity to have the property in front of it back. That would generate a lot of tax money for the town and the state and solve their issue! What about the docks that property owners have? The bikers will be all over the "private" boats which people have had their for years. This needs serious consideration. I really cant believe this has gone this far. I am sad to be a home owner here on Grand Island yet again. Theresa Merletti

The issue is safety. Inner road too narrow with no shoulders and in poor condition to handle more traffic. Town cannot afford to take on the repairs or upgrades necessary or to maintain.

For one, we don't need a bike path. Also, there are way too many people using this Parkway which I think should be maintained year round.

Leave residential as residential and help the commercial strip that so desperately needs it.

I am undecided but I do want to have more transparency and do not want this proposal ramrodded down our throats.

I vote NO to closure of west river parkway

There is no reason to close a much needed thoroughfare in order to provide for a bike path. If a bike path is required it can be built on the State land adjacent to the Parkway as is done elsewhere. NY State steals our lands and later decides it does not want to pay for upkeep causing huge tracts of roads to be ripped out. We are forced to endure this Abuse of Public Trust time and time again, by each generation in office thinking it knows more then the last. Leave the West River Parkway alone for Islanders, pave it and plow it as you do other highly useable roads, and build your bike path nearby. That way all taxpayers are happy, and we all may benefit from both means of travel. Not all of us are bike riders....but did I really need to remind you of that?

I don't support the closing of west river parkway

I live 0.2 mile off West River on Staley. According to google maps, it takes me 2 minutes more to get to the North GI bridge if I don't use the Parkway. For people living right on West River this would probably be 3 minutes. So it seems to me that Joe Smith needs to check his statistics. At any rate, before a minor accident in 2004, I did a lot of biking in the area and near the Parkway. I saw no reason then, and I see no reason now for the need of a bike path.

Too many of us use this to close it whereas there are relatively few bikers who will make use of this.

I don't support the closing of West River Parkway.