Sen. Harckham Secures Funding for Mt. Pleasant Pond Restoration

New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced last week that the Town of Mount Pleasant has been awarded a $100,000 grant to help restore the pond in James M. Carroll Park, a popular recreation area located on Kensico Road in Thornwood.

Unfortunately, the Carroll Park pond collected a great deal of silt over the years, eventually causing it to become unusable for recreation activities. The pond restoration project will include returning the body of water to its original depth through dredging and re-establishing the shoreline area with gabion basket walls. A project to reduce future sediment from collecting in the pond has been completed already.

“Parks and recreation areas benefit our residents in countless ways, especially in regard to promoting exercise and wellness for people of all ages,” said Harckham. “Maintaining the infrastructure of our well-used and much loved resources, like Carroll Park, enhances our quality of life in great communities like Mount Pleasant, so I’m pleased to have been able to partner with town officials on the pond restoration project.”

Formerly known as Leith Pond Park until it was renamed in honor of a former Thornwood Fire Department chief, Carroll Park is comprised of nearly seven acres, which include a ball field, bandstand and the 1.2-acre pond. Centrally located, the park is accessible to residents and commercial businesses, and sidewalks allow pedestrians to walk to the park along the roadway.

Completing the pond restoration will allow the pond to be re-opened for fishing and ice-skating, while also revitalizing the pond’s visual appeal.

“We are very grateful for Senator Harckham's attention to Carroll Park and eagerness to ensure that Mount Pleasant continues to have some of the finest parks around,” said Town of Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi. “We are excited to make improvements to Carroll Park for the coming spring and summer seasons. The park has seen a significant increase in usage over the past few years, so this is an especially important time to continue updating its features.”

The awarded grant funding, which Harckham secured within the State and Municipal Facilities Program (SAM), will reimburse the Town of Mount Pleasant for costs associated with the pond restoration. SAM funding is among the grant programs administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to support community and economic development.

In the past 14 months, Harckham has secured SAM funding for numerous community projects and municipal initiatives in Westchester County, including ballfield renovations at Millwood Recreation Park in the Town of New Castle, a new police car and stop signs in Somers and trail improvements in Peekskill’s Fort Hill Park—saving county taxpayers more than $3.8 million in spending.