Groundwork Hudson Valley’s held its annual Urban River Gala on Sept. 19, celebrating the Yonkers Greenway and the leaders who have helped bring the decade-long project to fruition. Hundreds of attendees will raised their glasses to the honorees – Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Groundwork Hudson Valley board member Renee Milligan, and Bank of America – over a locally-sourced dinner created by renowned Chef Peter Kelly at X2O Xaviars on the Hudson in Yonkers.
The Yonkers Greenway was an idea conceived by community leaders in 2008 to create a recreational biking and walking trail to reconnect the Bronx to downtown Yonkers through the abandoned route of an old railway line. From 1880 to 1943, the Yonkers branch of the New York Central Railroad’s Putnam Division (called the Putnam Spur) connected the heart of Yonkers’ Getty Square to Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. It was instrumental to the early development of modern-day Yonkers.
In October 2018, along with the city, business and community leaders, the first phase of the Yonkers Greenway was completed by transforming the defunct Lowerre train station stop into a revitalized park that features art installations, a community garden, and a state-of-the-art playground for members of the community to enjoy. When the entirety of the Yonkers Greenway is complete, it will once again link Yonkers to New York City, providing economic stimulus, renewed business activity, improved environments, health benefits, recreational activity and – perhaps most importantly – positive social infrastructure, which is the physical places that allow social bonds to develop.
“For me, the most inspiring part about this project is its ability to bring people together from all different backgrounds toward a shared, ambitious goal to make our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play,” said Brigitte Griswold, executive director of Groundwork Hudson Valley. “Together, we have truly epitomized the old proverb ‘It takes a village.’”
This year, Groundwork recognized government, business and community leaders who have supported the Yonkers Greenway and who go above and beyond to create vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities. Mayor Spano has supported the Yonkers Greenway since he was a member of the New York State Assembly. In addition to his dedication to the Yonkers Greenway, he has lent his support to the Saw Mill River Daylighting, championed a new bike-sharing program, lead a city-wide anti-litter campaign, and created new opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy investment for the city.
“The City of Yonkers has been committed to developing the Yonkers Greenway through community engagement from a variety of private and public partners including Groundwork Hudson Valley,” said Spano. “Together we have spent the last four years gathering input from local community stakeholders, conducting neighborhood and feasibility studies, and fundraising to bring this vision to reality.”
Bank of America, the recipient of the Business Leader Award, was recognized for its commitment to supporting equitable solutions that help vulnerable communities grow and prosper. Accepting the award was Craig Young, Westchester-Greenwich market executive for Merrill Lynch, a Bank of America Company.
“Public-private partnerships like the one between Groundwork Hudson Valley, the City of Yonkers and Bank of America are key to reinvigorating communities,” he said. “It gives me great pride to accept this Business Leader Award on behalf of Bank of America and all of my colleagues who live, work and play in this neighborhood. Our commitment to Yonkers and other Westchester-based efforts remains steadfast and strong.”
Renee Milligan is a passionate social justice advocate who has been a driving force behind the Yonkers Greenway since 2008. She worked tirelessly to present the vision of the Greenway to the Environmental Protection Agency, funders, elected officials and community residents. She joined the Groundwork Hudson Valley board in 2018 because she said she believes that creating safe, accessible green space in her neighborhood will inspire community change.
“A project like this requires extensive community support and I hope my work on the Yonkers Greenway will inspire other community leaders to keep dreaming about what they can accomplish to improve their own neighborhoods,” said Milligan. “I’ve been there from day one, and my granddaughter Haela has been with me at nearly every planning meeting. I love to see her using the Greenway playground.”
