Grand Island roundtable finds two State Parks projects consistent with waterfront plan, asks for design and pesticide clarifications

The Town of Grand Island's advisory roundtable on Wednesday reviewed two State Parks proposals under the town's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) and voted to find both projects consistent with the plan while forwarding additional technical comments.

The two proposals reviewed were an accessibility package that includes new ADA ramps and beach-access devices, restroom upgrades and improvements to a new dog-park area, and a multi-year invasive-species control program that would use mechanical and targeted chemical treatments at park sites. Roundtable members said the package would improve public access but urged design changes at ramp termini and asked for guarantees that invasive-species work would avoid broad, indiscriminate herbicide application.

Why this matters: Both proposals affect shorelines and near-shore habitat regulated under the town's LWRP and by state and federal agencies. The accessibility work directly changes the shore edge and public access points; the invasive-species program could involve aquatic herbicide applications and wetland work overseen by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and, where applicable, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

What the roundtable reviewed and recommended The accessibility proposal covers beach ramps, beach and water wheelchairs and improvements to restrooms and playground areas at a State Parks site on Grand Island. Members endorsed the project's overall intent and recommended the roundtable's formal comment letter say the work is consistent with the town's LWRP while listing site-specific recommendations: reinforce or anchor ramp termini so they will not be undermined by wave action, consider pile or piling elements rather than only surface connections, and include seasonal removal or secure storage for temporary access mats or floating pads used for water access.

Roundtable members also confirmed the dog-park area appears to provide separate spaces for large and small dogs and urged clear fencing and…