Westchester Parks Foundation, the only organization dedicated exclusively to promoting and supporting Westchester County Parks, recently launched a lake revitalization project at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers.
The 10-day effort will use a specially designed mechanical harvester to clear the 10-acre lake of invasive species including thousands of water chestnut plants. This initial step is part of a planned effort to sustain the lake over the course of the next few years, and ultimately restore it to its original state. The work is made possible by a grant from Xylem, Inc., a global water technology provider located in Rye Brook, and is the beginning of a long-term partnership between the two organizations whose mutual goal encompasses the health of parks and waterways.
“County residents have not been able to enjoy Tibbetts Brook Park Lake for decades,” said Seth Mandelbaum, vice chairman of WPF. “We are thrilled to team up with Xylem and G.A Fleet to continue our work to revitalize the lake, which will not only improve the quality of life for the 100,000 Yonkers community members it currently serves, but all residents of Westchester.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer added: “Tibbetts Brook Park is a beautiful, green oasis in the middle of Westchester’s largest and one of the region’s most vital cities. Restoring the lovely lake is a project that is long overdue, and I thank Xylem and the Parks Foundation for their efforts.”
Once the mechanical harvesting is complete, 40 volunteers from Xylem and G.A. Fleet will manually clean up hard-to-reach areas on the edges of the lake. Through Xylem Watermark, Xylem’s Corporate Citizenship program, their mission is to provide and protect safe water resources for communities around the world and educate people about water issues.
“When you stroll around the lake it’s hard to imagine that you’re only a short distance from the busy streets of Yonkers,” said Westchester County Parks Deputy Commissioner Peter Tartaglia. “It’s a wonderful spot to ‘get away from it all’ any time of year, and now thanks to this grant and support from the WPF, it will be better than ever.”
“Xylem is dedicated to partnerships with our local governments, agencies and suppliers to raise awareness about protecting our waterways, as well as to dedicate resources for the long-term protection of Tibbetts Brook Park Lake,” added Joe Vesey, Xylem senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “We are helping empower our colleagues and their communities to solve water challenges through our technology and solutions and our Watermark program will continue its mission to increase awareness about water accessibility, resilience and scarcity in Yonkers and around the world.”
Tibbetts Brook Park is critically important to the community in Yonkers as one of the largest parks in New York State’s fourth-largest city. Additionally parks and waterways serve an important role in urban areas to give residents access to needed green space. Westchester Parks Foundation’s efforts at the lake will eventually bring this area back to regular use, it is hoped.
The foundation’s mission is to engage the public to advocate for and invest in the preservation, conservation, use and enjoyment of the 18,000 acres of parks, trails and open spaces within the Westchester County parks system. For more information about Westchester Parks Foundation, visit www.thewpf.org, or Facebook.com/WestchesterParksFoundation and @thewpf.
