Tri-Village Officials Excited to Promote Tourism

For Rivertowns locals, the aqueduct footpath is just a pretty running trail or a shortcut to the next village over. But for New York city-dwellers--or foreign tourists even--it's rural/suburban charm may be the key to restoring life to Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington's suffering business districts, Hastings resident Bruce Bolger believes.  

Bolger, principal of marketing and media company Selling Communications Inc. (SCI), has recently approached the villages' boards with a comprehensive proposal for how to attract tourism to the Rivertowns--and, within the last two weeks, all three mayors have agreed to endorse the initiative. 

"I believe the Rivertowns have a largely untapped and valuable asset in the Old Croton Aqueduct trail," Bolger said before Irvington's village board on Wednesday. "There is almost no other place in Westchester in which you can get off the train and be so close to a walking path that will lead to another Metro North station. Of course, we'll encourage tourists to stop and eat at one of our area's wonderful restaurants along the way."

According to Bolger's proposal, his company will be solely responsible for funding and organizing everything needed to--quite literally--put the Rivertowns on the map. All he asked of the villages themselves was to "endorse" the project.

"What I need from you," he said to Irvington's mayor Jonathan Siegel, "Is your permission to say that the villages of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington are behind this."

Bolger requested that the villages organize a tourism board, or ad hoc advisory committee, comprised of representatives from each village. 

"This board will serve to make recommendations and make sure that everything we are doing is in accordance with that the villages desire," Bolger said.

Bolger's proposal consists of four major activities which, he believes, will increase the visibility of the area.

"First, we want to make tourist maps--both in paper and on the web," he said.

Like the scenic New England towns whose tourist maps point out local destinations and businesses, Rivertowns maps will feature businesses that choose to sponsor the production of the maps by making their icons larger and more conspicuous.

Bolger will also implement a marketing campaign, which includes radio commercials on WCBS NewsRadio. He will produce a continually updated website featuring: walks, history, attractions, dining and shops in all three communities.  

The villages' endorsements are most important, Bolger said, to his next goal:working with Metro North Railroad to include the Rivertowns in their rail packages.

"If I say I'm Bruce Bolger of Selling Communications Inc., they won't even talk to me," he said. "But if I can drop the name of a mayor or village manager, it gives me that much more credibility."

His most ambitious goal, though, is to get the Rivertowns into major guidebooks, like Fodors and Fromers. 

"We have great connections with guide book companies, so I think it's entirely possible," he said.

All funds for SCI's activities in the Rivertowns will come from sponsorship money raised entirely by the outside company.

"There will be no contribution requests made of any village governments," Bolger wrote in the proposal. "After a period of no more than two years, all parties can reconsider the the most approporiate steps going forward related to ongoing activities and the method of funding and governance."

At Dobbs Ferry's Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, village officials were thrilled by the proposal, adopting a resolution to "endorse" the project on the spot.

Since Dobbs Ferry's Chamber of Commerce dissolved a few years ago, improving the downtown area has been a constant struggle for the community.

"I think this is a great idea," said Deputy Mayor Catherine Kay. And it was Mayor Hartley Connett who called for the motion to officially get behind the project.

Hastings mayor Peter Swiderski expressed similar sentiment, though their board did not adopt a formal resolution. 

In Irvington, Mayor Jonathan Siegel had a few legal concerns about the role of the advisory board, but after hashing-out all the worst-case scenarios he and the board decided the potential benefits outweighed the unlikely risks. 

"The worst that can happen is that you do something to embarrass the village and we take back our endorsement," Siegel said.  

Bolger assured Siegel and members of the board that he and his company would do nothing other than what was outlined in his proposal. "If all of a sudden we decide to hold a naked fireman's beauty contest, you can take back your affiliation with us on he spot," Bolger said. 

He also gave his word there would be no naked firemen's contests planned by his company.

The next step is to put together the advisory board and and for Hastings and Irvington's boards to pass resolutions endorsing SCI, similar to the one passed this week in Dobbs Ferry. 

"This plan solves many of the problems these villages have been grappling with for ages," Nicola Coddington, chairperson of Irvington's Business Improvement Committee, said. "It will increase awareness of our villages' walkability and charm without costing taxpayers any money."