Foes Of Children's Home Expansion Seek Bat Delay

NEW CASTLE, NY — Foes of the Sunshine Home in the Teatown neighborhood have what they hope is a new ally in their fight against the nursing home for children: bats. The Sunshine Children’s Home & Rehab Center, which specializes in the treatment of medically complex children who require post acute, rehabilitative care, is planning to expand its home at 15 Spring Valley Road.

The Home is operating at 100 percent capacity, and has a long waiting list. Plans include the increase of its square footage to 146,000 from 19,000 sq.ft. to create space for additional beds, specialty medical equipment and circulation areas, improved classroom space for the onsite school, rooms for visiting families, etc.

The residents fighting the expansion say the facility would become larger than a Walmart, and argue that it would be inappropriate in their bucolic neighborhood tucked away on the Ossining-New Castle border.

On Wednesday, before a meeting in New Castle on the issue, the Greater Teatown Defense Alliance released a statement saying they have new evidence effecting the impending decision about a tree removal permit on the Sunshine property. Removing the trees could adversely affect a suspected habitat of the threatened Northern long-eared bat and the Eastern small-footed bat, which is listed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a species of special concern, they said.

Field recordings were captured with an Echo Meter, a recording device that allows a user to make sound recordings of bats, which are then identified by the Echo Meter software application, said spokeswoman Nicole Foss of Rubenstein PR in a press release.

The GTDA argues that the bat species were initially unreported as previous studies of potential bat habitat, conducted by VHB on the Sunshine property, were undertaken during February, when bats are hibernating, and did not investigate the property for the actual presence of bats.

They say their new evidence, based on field recording of bats on the adjacent property along the Sunshine property line, indicates a likelihood that the northern long-eared bat and eastern small-footed bat are present on Sunshine’s property as well.

"GTDA is requesting that the Planning Board retain an independent biologist with expertise in bats to follow up on these recent bat recordings by making additional bat surveys on Sunshine’s property, consult with the resource agencies (NYSDEC and USFWS), and allow the resource agencies the opportunity to advise the Planning Board on additional required or recommended restrictions on the proposed project based on the presence of these bats," Foss said.

Opponents said Sunshine Home had previously agreed to limit its removal of trees to the period from Nov. 1 through March 31 of each year. However, they pointed out NYSDEC guidance further recommends that any trees within a 150-foot radius of a documented summer occurrence remain uncut.

"The potential presence of the Northern long-eared bat would be a welcome surprise for a community facing over commercialization from for-profit companies seeking to build beyond infrastructure capabilities, as there are no known occurrences of the species in NYSDEC database or Westchester County despite the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service database listing the potential for the species existence within the town of New Castle and Sunshine Home’s vicinity," said Foss.

According to GTDA spokesperson Karen Wells, “The Greater Teatown Defense Alliance is respectfully requesting that the New Castle Planning Board take steps to better protect a threatened species now that evidence of their habitation has come to life. As stewards of our neighborhood, we strongly encourage the board to consult with resource agencies to best determine how to protect our unique and thriving community from over commercialization that would negatively impact the environment and quality of life.”

SEE ALSO:

• Ossining Neighbors Oppose Sunshine Home's Expansion Plan
  
• Sunshine Children's Home & Rehab Center's Vital Plan for Expansion