For official information about NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program, click on the link below:
http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/nyrcr/community/town-stony-point
Stony Point Plans for Global Sea Level Rise and Increasing Storm Severity
Stony Point, NY - September 23, 2014
The Town of Stony Point has reconvened its New York Rising Committee to investigate the impacts of rising sea levels on its tidally-influenced Hudson River coastline. It has announced a public meeting at 5:00 PM in the Rho Community Center on October 1, 2014 to discuss the issue of rising sea-levels and storm surges, the vulnerability of the Stony Point Hudson River shoreline and measures to adapt and make the coastal areas of the Town more resilient.
New York Rising was a program that was started by New York State in order to draft local plans for recovering from Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The committee, working with consultants and representatives of the State, has provided the community with a road map for Sandy recovery and resiliency through implementation of a number of "priority projects" eligible for future funding from the State. Before being selected for NY Rising, Stony Point had already sought out and was awarded a grant from the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Hudson River Estuary Program. This grant was intended to assemble a Waterfront Taskforce to look at the vulnerability of Stony Point's Hudson River coastline and develop strategies for increasing resiliency in the face of increasing storm severity and rising sea levels. Having the grant now allows the Town to insure that the NY Rising Projects are the most cost-effective measures given current projections for sea level and storm surge increases.
"NEIWPCC and the Hudson River Estuary Program have been incredibly accommodating. They realize that NY Rising accomplished much of what we were looking to do with the Waterfront Taskforce grant - forming a committee, engaging the public, identifying resources that are at risk," said Max Stach of the Turner Miller Group of Suffern, NY and the Town's Planner, "They have been very practical in allowing us to revise the program, add value and further the process."
FEMA flood elevations along the Hudson River in Stony Point have increased four feet from 7 feet in 1982 to 11 feet in 2014. Average sea level elevations in the region has increased by 6-8 inches over the same period as measured at the Battery in New York City. A 2012 joint study released by the US Department of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Geological Survey, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency predicts that global sea level will rise an additional eight inches to 6.6 feet by 2100. "We've seen the rise locally, and we are told it is going to rise more before 2100. There is uncertainty as to how much, but we have to plan for even higher seas than what we've recently witnessed here. Even the low end of projections are concerning and have significant implications to local property owners and Town infrastructure," Mr. Stach said.
"We've already taken steps to make the Town safer, whether through pursuing funding, or planning for future natural disasters. We are going to continue to be proactive so that we can have a waterfront is a destination and resource to the community. We are going to incorporate the necessary protections to make sure we don't see the destruction and hardships that we saw in October of 2012," said Geoff Finn, Supervisor of the Town of Stony Point. "There's no question Sandy knocked us out. We are cleaning up. The Town is issuing building permits for demolition and reconstruction. We want to make sure we build back right and this Sea Level Rise study is part of how we accomplish that. We'll also be looking to hold the State to its commitment for funding of priority projects," he followed.
The meeting will begin at 5:00 PM on October 1 at the Rho Community Center at 5 Clubhouse Lane, Stony Point, NY. The meeting will include a presentation of which areas of the Town are most vulnerable as well as a presentation by DEC representatives on ways to make the area more resilient. The Public will be invited to offer input and suggestions and ask questions. Another public meeting will be held later this month and will cover the costs and benefits associated with resiliency projects.
For More Information Contact:
Maximilian A. Stach, AICP
Vice President
New York Office:
75 Montebello Road - Suite 202
Suffern, NY 10901
Voice: 845.368.1472 x106
Fax: 845.368.1572
E-mail: maxstach@turnermillergroup.com
Web: www.turnermillergroup.com
To view the PDF, please click here