Kiryas Joel, NY - Water Tank Plan For Park Irks Towns

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - The Village's request to build two 750,000-gallon water tanks on a hill in a proposed Orange County park known as the Gonzaga property, has collided with its neighbor's efforts to preserve disappearing green space.

Putting the tanks on the former retreat, the village says, would boost water pressure for a new women's health center and other developments.

But leaders in Blooming Grove and Woodbury say the plan would undermine their years-long drive to protect the 216-acre mountaintop retreat. Supervisors from both towns criticized County Executive Ed Diana for endorsing the plan. "I don't want the whole thing to become a Kiryas Joel park," Blooming Grove Supervisor Charlie Bohan said. "They have the right to use it, like anybody else, but it should be developed to meet the needs of the towns in which it's located."

What the two sides expect from a park also differs. Blooming Grove and Woodbury want ball fields and hiking trails. Kiryas Yoel, which is within walking distance of Gonzaga, prefers playgrounds.

But Kiryas Joel Administrator said he did not understand the opposition to the water towers, which he said would also benefit future park patrons. The village has agreed to supply water for toilets and drinking fountains. "Every Blooming Grove resident, every Woodbury resident, every Monroe resident using that park are going to be drinking tasty, crystal-clear and delicious water from Kiryas Joel," he said. "For free."