Philipstown Town Board Hears Presentation From Comprehensive Plan Special Board
by Nancy Wareham Gordon

At the December 6 meeting of the Philipstown Town Board (see related article), the Chairperson of the Comprehensive Plan Special Board, Susan Bates, provided a brief overview of the group, including its mission, history, and progress since September.

Ms. Bates told the audience that the Comprehensive Plan is to be completed by March 2003. "The development of the Comprehensive Plan," said Ms. Bates, "is the next step in Philipstown’s planning process. It follows a ten year progression, beginning with the Master Plan, in 1991, until the formation of the Philipstown 2020 this past April."

The key to the success of the Comprehensive Plan, explained Ms. Bates, "is to involve a broad consensus of the public, especially the members of the community who were not able to attend the Philipstown 2020: A Synthesis."

This theme was repeated by during presentations from representatives of each Work Group Committee: Nat Prentice, Business Development; Chip Alleman, Housing; Chip Place, Infrastructure; Susan Bates, Open Space; and Mike Phelan, Recreation.

"One of my top objectives," said Nat Prentice, is "to inform the public and to invite them to participate in the Business Development Work Group." He provided his e-mail address, prentice@highlands.com, so that community members interested in joining the Business Development Work Group can contact him. Prentice’s other two objectives include, "Increasing the tax base, and developing and recommending specific strategies to improve the local economy, while preserving and enhancing the Town’s natural beauty."

Chip Alleman reported on the activities of the Housing Work Group. "The community members," said Mr. Alleman, "specifically requested that the committee explore creative solutions to make housing more affordable for current residents, especially seniors, and future residents." The Housing Work Group, he explained, is right now determining the existing housing conditions in the Town, and has asked the community for their help and feedback.

Chip Place, representing the Infrastructure Work Group, repeated Mr. Alleman’s request for community participation and feedback, to discuss existing and future infrastructure conditions in Philipstown. "Infrastructure," explained Mr. Place, "refers to the road, sewer and water facilities that support the built environment". Describing the many infrastructure changes that have occurred in Philipstown since the 1991 Master Plan, Place said that current "hot topics" include: telecommunication (e.g., high speed cable service and cell towers); roads (e.g., Town roads vs. private roads, dirt roads vs. paved roads, and State and County road improvements); bus and rail service; and emergency, hospital, and community services (including a new Town Hall).

Susan Bates, in her role as a representative of the Open Space Work Group, outlined the group’s goals. "The remaining parts of open space and its relationship to the scenic values and rural character of the town must be identified," said Ms. Bates. Once evaluated, said Bates, the parcels of open land having environmental significance will determine the land the Town can use. The group recognizes the public’s needs to know the affect of open land on property taxes and the cost of municipal services. A major goal of the Open Space Work Group, said Ms. Bates, is "to try to secure permanent, larger payments for state-owned land; and using the $30,000 Forest Service Grant to aid us in our work to define Philipstown’s important role in the preservation of natural resources in the Highland Region."

In closing, Mike Phelan presented an update of the Recreation Work Group, which has now prioritized the points of interest, as expressed by Town residents, regarding recreation facilities. "A possible suggestion," he said, "is to incorporate such recreation activities as a municipal swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts into a Town Center, as a focal point for Philipstown."

The Recreation Work Group’s first step was to develop a recreation survey for public input. An initial survey was conducted in the Continental Village Property Owners’ Newsletter. "Once we get feedback, change the survey, and try to get it in one, concise form," said Mr. Phelan, "it will eventually go out through the Philipstown Recreation Department, and the newspaper." Phelan hopes that the Recreation Work Group can work with the community to coordinate a strategy for the Town’s present and future recreational needs.

The next Comprehensive Plan Special presentation will take place in the Town Hall on January 3, 2002 at 7:00 pm, prior to the Philipstown Town Board’s Reorganization Meeting at 8:00 pm, and the monthly Town Board meeting at 8:30 pm.