Mohegan Lake Legal Defense Fund

History of this site

This site was originally set up to fight 3 of 5 zoning variances proposed by the FBC development at Sagamore Trail and Mohegan Ave that eliminates two single family homes while nearly quadrupling the parking and occupancy loads of the old Lakeland Jewish Center. That effort failed and the application is currently before the Planning Board.

While Save Mohegan Lake will continue to update you on that issue, we are moving on to all issues affecting the lake, such as Mohegan Lake Improvement District (MLID) meetings, agenda and budget. This site is not an official mouthpiece for MLID, but some updates will be provided on this site; the official site is located here.

We do it all here, so long as it's Mohegan Lake related. Feel free to submit comments, content, garage sale notices, police blotters, PSA's, essays on the virtues of our 105 acre ice rink, rants, raves, etc... We love it all.

Email: YorktownCode@gmail.com

Thursday, March 28, 2013

MHPOA Projects: Reclaiming The Footpath

Several of our Mohegan Highlands Property Owners Association members have brought up the fact that we own easement rights to for a foot path from Kimble Ave. down to the MHPOA beach.  Perhaps we can make it a project during our beach project day on April 27th.  Beach clean up day is April 20th.  You guys will be there, right?  We have to figure out how to fix our big wooden dock, set the floating dock and secure the buoy lines.  Plus getting all the tables out and general housekeeping. Laura always says that many hands make for light work. 


An historic map of the MHPOA development provided by Janina Rubinowitz. If you look really close and have a huge screen, you may be able to see the easement area. 

Steps from Mohegan Ave down to the upper parking lot.  A chainsaw and leaf blower could be a nice start to a reclamation project. 
Chain link fence defines the easement area.  You can see a tree (probably from Sandy) that is laying over the path. 

There's a perfectly good pile of wood chips in the upper parking lot that can be put to use.  Anybody need it?

Monday, March 25, 2013

Mohegan Highlands Property Owners Association (MHPOA), We've Got a Problem

Nothing we can't overcome, but there are dock issues.  Biggest issue is probably the T-shaped, big wooden dock.  The good ice we had this year was bad to the wood.  The floating dock was ripped off it's anchors, but seems to be intact.  There's the another, small T-shaped dock that I think we should aim to rehabilitate.  Oh, and there's a random floating dock that ended up in the turtle cove; we should advertise a found dock and if no one claims it, perhaps we float out in the middle of the lake for longer swims? Point being, we're hoping we can do this in house and not have to go out to bid (town requires 3) to make these repairs.

Below are some reconnaissance photos I took this weekend.  We have beach clean up/repair days scheduled for April 20th and 27th.  We're actually going to be looking into rehabilitating the tennis courts (not as tennis courts cause it's so expensive) and the field up the hill.


You can see that header beam is cracked just to the left of the center float.  The whole thing is dipping there.  I think we have to detach that section of the "T", float it to shore, repair and re-float/re-attach.
You can see where the ice pushed it into the shore and turned over 45 degrees; it's still anchored with chains--firmly.

Our ghost dock into turtle cove.



The decking looks to be in decent shape.

Need to advertise this to the other home owners associations.  If it goes unclaimed, we can certainly put it to use.

Yum.  No blue-green algae in sight. 



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Deep Breaths

There's a whole lot going on up here in Mohegan Lake and it sure can get stressful. We have to remember to take a few deep breaths occasionally and keep things in perspective.  Think about how this late blast of winter is going to make spring seem that much sweeter.

A quick recap of all things Mohegan Lake:

Hectic indeed, but  I'm now thinking back to simpler times, just a few short weeks ago when I was simply a father, clearing an ice skating rink for my girls. That's my happy place.  Should get me through til next winter!

Hard work, but totally worth it. 

Yes, that is the Holland Club property in the background.






Going places.

We've got moves.



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Maps!

So...I made my 8+ month pregnant wife make us some maps from the Westchester County GIS database tonight.  She really turns me on like that.  She even broke out the 2 Foot Topos.  

It's important that the public has some context as to where the 86,000 cubic yards of "clean" fill will be deposited in Yorktown..  The site is extraordinarily unique.  I would mention that Jones Hill (top right of the first image below), may be a little more unique-er.

Mohegan Lake
The Holland Sporting Club Property outlined in black.



Recapping The Holland Club Proposal

  •  Michael Grace, Yorktown supervisor has proposed using 86,000 cubic yards (about "6,000 dump trucks worth," according to planning director, John Tegeder).
  •  There is no site plan for the proposal.
  • This work has to begin when the widening of route 202 begins in April; the state has offered the fill and labor to "back blade and roll" the dirt around. 
  • The Holland Club Property is one of the most beautiful properties in Yorktown, if not the count, according to supervisor Grace.  Yet we should dump 6,000 dump trucks worth of "clean" fill to clear cut huge swaths of trees, negate the steep slopes and cover the natural beauty of the rock on the site? 
Will they plant it?  If not, how badly will the sediment runoff affect the trouble Mohegan Lake?   Can we promise not to fertilize the fields so that we don't exacerbate the perennial blue-green algae bloom that closed the lake to swimming for the season beginning in July?

Below is a photo of Mohegan Avenue where the lake outflow is taken tonight on my way to George Washington's K-2 open house with the family.  Please note that the lake edge extends over the double yellow line dividing the two, tight driving lanes.  Can we use 1 thousand of the 86,000 cubic yards of fill to create a berm and repave the road so we don't have to drive through 1-2 feet of water in the eastbound lane?

If you want to stay apprised of the goings on, like our facebook page: Friends of The Holland Club.

I know you already like Save Mohegan Lake's page, right?

Non-Simultaneous Occupancy?

Let me google that for you. Why?  Because SaveMoheganLake.com is the 3rd highest google result for "non-simultaneous occupancy."  Why such a high search result?  Because non-simultaneous occupancy is not a code supported concept and I've been very, very adamant on this site regarding such.

Click here to let me google that for you. 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Common Merganser Ducks

These guys are out in force, diving for fish up and down the lake. Like mowing the lawn. They sure are spectacular in red, green and white. This photo is sent in by Abby Luby. Please send me your photos of the birds of Mohegan Lake. Impressive photo. Looks like at least two dozen birds in the frame alone.
The ladies are smaller and brown.





Recreation Board Site Visit To The Holland Club 3/9/13

You can see a bunch of photos of the Holland Club property from the site visit yesterday here. Quite a beautiful piece of property.  If you're not already liking Friends of the Holland Club on facebook, do it here--and now.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Duck Season

Now that the ice is all gone, I am thoroughly enjoying seeing all the ducks feeding in the lake.  I've seen some American Coot, Common Merganser and Mallard ducks fishing up here on the north side of the lake.  They are small and blend in so you really need binoculars to observe.  Very hard to get a good photo; below are photos from the Cornell Ornithology website.  Have you seen any ducks?

 
Common Merganser

American Coot

Mallard

Thursday, March 7, 2013

How To Be A Friend of The Holland Club

Before March 19th, 2013,  email or mail your written comments regarding the proposal to dump about 86,000 cubic yards of "clean" fill from 202 on the Holland Club property to make new ball fields and the requisite parking lots.

Town Board
Town Clerk
363 Underhill Avenue
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
supervisor@yorktownny.org
tmurphy@yorktownny.org
nicgin245@aol.com
vishnuv@optonline.net
dpaganelli@yorktownny.org
townclerk@yorktownny.org

Attend the March 19th Planning Board meeting.  Speak during the courtesy of the floor.

Attend the April 9th planning board working session.

All meetings will be at the Town Hall board room at the 363 Underhill.  March 19th starts at 7:30.  April 9th at  7pm.

Stay in the know by liking our facebook page.  Contribute to the facebook page.  All likes are rewarded with administrative privileges.  

The Holland Club

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Friends of The Holland Club

This is a link to the facebook page set up this morning to coordinate a community response to recent informal announcement regarding the proposal to clearing woodlands in the Holland Club and dump "tens of thousands of yards" of dirt from the Route 202 widening to make fields.  Fields no one asked for, not to mention the site can't support parking or traffic required for such; not to mention destroying one of the little slices of natural beauty we are left with in Mohegan Lake.  Thanks for the offer, Supervisor Grace, but no thanks.  Last thing we need is another half-baked project for Parks and Rec that won't get complete and will detrimentally impact residential quaility of life for the surrounding community. Maybe you can use that clean for the Costco site fill.  

Please keep your hands off of the Holland Club. Thanks. 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

They're Coming for The Holland Club!

It was only a matter of time.  I'm just surprised they literally just want to dump on us up here in Mohegan Lake.

  A message from MLID president Ken Belfer:


I was informed tonight after the Town Board meeting that the widening of Route 202 is supposed to begin in April, and the Town has been offered tens of thousands of yards of clean fill that will be excavated.  Supervisor Grace informed me that they would like to have it all brought to the Holland Club property.  His vision was that all the Town would have to do is cut down the trees in a portion of the property, and they would get the fill brought over and graded for free.  He felt it would clean up the property and create two town ballfields at the same time.  He said one would be at the lake level, and there would be an open grassy area leading up to the lake with a lake view.  The other would be at the top.  I was told that this plan would be presented at the Rec Board meeting on the 14th of March, and that the Town had to move fast to take advantage of this offer.  He wanted lake residents to know about this, and to come out to the Rec Board meeting to hear about it and give input. 
I wanted to get the word out about this right away, because I know there will be very strong feelings about this. 
And please, don't shoot the messenger . . . .
Ken