Delays Expected for Opening of Gardens Lake

Locals in the Larchmont-Mamaroneck community are going to have to wait a little longer for the opening of Gardens Lake, known colloquially as “Duck Pond.”

Some of the new plantings around the lake’s perimeter have not taken to the soil and will need to be replaced, delaying the opening, which was originally scheduled for June, said Town of Mamaroneck (TOM) Administrator Steve Altieri.

The unforeseen difficulties have caused contractor Galvin Brothers Construction—the Long Island-based firm originally selected to handle the project—to return to the site to “make some replacements” Altieri said.

The downside to rushing the park’s opening, said Altieri, is “once people start to walk around in there, you run the risk of plants being trampled . . and you also want them to take so that the geese can’t get to them.”

“Hopefully by the end of this month we’ll know if we can open the entire facility,” he said hopefully.

Some additional measures have also been taken to avoid a repeat of catastrophic level flooding, like the one that ravaged Mamaroneck in 2007, causing millions in property damage.

“The flood control valve was installed to allow us to hold back a certain amount of storm water during a major rain event,” Altieri explained.  The sole aim of the Gardens Lake rehabilitation project was to prevent a recurrence of the floods that caused some residents of the village to be evacuated from their homes by boat.

“So, we coordinate the lowering of the Gardens Lake with the lowering of the Larchmont reservoir so that we can help the Village of Mamaroneck with their flooding problems,” Altieri said of the valve.

In 2004—as the first phase of the Gardens Lake Project began—a sediment trap was constructed at the point where the Sheldrake River enters the Lake. The reasoning was that by having the sedimentation basin in place, the TOM could extend the interval between major dredging projects.

Dredging is a process that involves cleaning out the bed of a body of water by scooping out mud and other debris that have accumulated over time with a machine equipped with either a scooping or suction device. The sediment trap will be cleaned up to three times a year, if necessary, staving off the expenses of another large-scale project.

In 2010, Gardens Lake underwent a $1.1 million flood mitigation overhaul to improve water quality and to increase the lake’s ability to retain floodwater.  

In 2009, the TOM received funding from a county program designed to help fund flood control projects in various communities. Additional funding came from a state environmental protection grant that paid for all of the planting work and aspects of the project that had to do with water quality.

The TOM’s total cash contribution to the project was $750,000.

So, for now, park revelers will simply have to wait until Duck Pond reopens.

“There will be a ceremony,” said Altieri.