The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Vicki de Vries

“I Must Go Down to the River Again…”

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Riverkeeper’s patrol boat logs more than 5,000 nautical miles a year along the Hudson River, from the Mohawk and Upper Hudson down the Estuary to New York Harbor. The boat provides a deterrent to polluters, a platform for research, and a means of educating and connecting with the public. Its “home port” is Westerly Marina in Ossining.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RIVERKEEPER

Are visions of fishing, swimming, boating, kayaking and gardening swirling in your head? Obviously, the common denominator in these fun pursuits is w-a-t-e-r.

Like the Hudson River, the largest body of water among us, water is a year-round commodity that we easily take for granted, but shouldn’t. So much revolves around this amazing body of water, which the Mahican Indians named Muh-he-kun-he-tuk, “the river that flows both ways.”

Volunteers clean up the Sing Sing Kill, a Hudson River tributary, in Ossining during Riverkeeper Sweep on May 4, 2019.
PHOTO BY GARETH HOUGHAM

What Makes the Hudson River So Special?

Named after Henry Hudson, the English navigator who visited the river in his schooner Half Moon circa 1609, the Hudson River makes its 315-mile journey from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains to New York Harbor before blending in with the Atlantic Ocean.

Extending for around 153 miles, the lower part of the Hudson is a tidal estuary, meaning that it “ebbs and flows with the ocean tide,” per Riverkeeper.org. It contains a combination of salty ocean water and freshwater from tributaries, aka small streams and creeks, all stretching from New York Harbor to Troy, NY.

Most people don’t realize that the Hudson River “supports a biologically rich environment, making it an important ecosystem for various species of aquatic life” for whom it “provides critical habitats and essential spawning and breeding grounds,” say the Riverkeeper’s proponents.

Riverkeeper.org, which started over 50 years ago as the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, plays a major role in protecting the Hudson River’s ecology and the drinking water supply. Dan Shapley, its Water Quality Program Director since 2014, shared some interesting facts about Hudson River water quality that apply specifically to Ossining and Briarcliff Manor, as well as to other river communities.

For example, “The Hudson is only as clean as its tributaries…. In Ossining, it’s our [Riverkeeper’s] job to take care of the small streams like the Sing Sing Kill and Sparta Brook….” That makes sense since whatever goes into the streams ends up in the Hudson.

Village of Ossining Mayor Victoria Gearity highlighted the aesthetic aspect of what’s known as “the Sing Sing Kill Greenway,” which has become a wonderful place to walk. In her February 10th “message” to residents, she noted: “The Sing Sing Kill Greenway began as an infrastructure project whose purpose was to protect the Hudson River from contamination by encasing in concrete the sanitary sewer line that runs through this tributary. Modest upgrades transformed the project to become a greenway, with a vision to eventually connect pedestrians all the way to Water Street from downtown.”

And Dan Shapley added: “The Sing Sing Kill, particularly, is such a community asset, with the greenway trail that runs along it. It’s something we should cherish and protect.”

Shapley’s passion for the Hudson River comes out loud and clear: “The Hudson River is an amazing engine of life for the Atlantic Ocean, a source of drinking water for more than 100,000 people, and a source of joy for those of us who paddle or swim in it or visit the water’s edge.”

This time of year, it’s important to note that as one moves “away from shorelines or tributaries,” Shapley said, “water quality is often safe for swimming… However, nearer to the shoreline, water quality is much more variable, and is often risky for swimming after rain.” So, for communities along the shoreline, such as Ossining and Briarcliff, swimming might be a problem.

However, Shapley continued: “…Ossining beach at Louis Engel Park is right on the cusp of meeting the EPA’s criteria for a safe swimming beach.” Since “water quality is so close to meeting EPA’s threshold for safe swimming, we and the elected leaders of Ossining (Town and Village) have been looking for opportunities to expand public recreation at the beach.” That’s good news particularly for post-COVID times.

Meanwhile, Ossining-area residents will have to be content with a number of other water-related activities.

William Garrison, the Village of Ossining’s Superintendent of Recreation and Parks, cited the popular kayaking tours and lessons, a sailing program, and the Spray Park, which is “a designated area with special spouts that squirt water for young children and their parents to cool off during the hot summer days.”

Keeping the River Clean

The recreational benefits of the Hudson River are greatly enhanced by Sweep, Riverkeeper’s annual one-day service event. Co-directed by Jen Benson and Nick Mitch, Sweep coordinates 2,000 volunteers who “sweep up” trash and debris from 120 locations along the Hudson River Watershed and its tributaries. So, how much trash has Sweep scooped up over the years?

“Over the last eight years,” Benson said, “Sweep projects have removed 259 tons of debris [riverwide], including 28.6 tons of recycling.” And in Ossining alone, Shapley noted, 3.5 tons of trash (7,009 lbs) have been removed. And 60+ storm drains have been “stenciled,” meaning that the drains were marked with reminders “that trash on the street reaches our streams via storm drains and pipes.”

What an astonishing amount of junk. I cringed just hearing those figures.

Recreational and water-quality issues aside, Riverkeeper and other groups, along with elected officials from the Village and the Town of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor, also have their eyes on the future of the Hudson River–and with some level of concern.

In discussing the importance of the Hudson River, Ossining Town Supervisor, Dana Levenberg, stressed that the Hudson is “critical for economic development, recreation, and commerce. It is a defining characteristic of our Town and Village.”

But “… what keeps me ‘up at night’ is the idea that the Metro North railroad line along the Hudson River will not exist in 80 years if nothing is done. The culprit? Sea-level rise causing coastline changes.”

“Sea-level rise causing coastline changes”? That sounds almost ominous.

Levenberg went on to explain: “The Metro North line is the life force of our Hudson Valley. It’s either going to need to be raised seriously by an awful lot or moved or replaced with alternative transportation. Either way, this is going to be a multi-million dollar project in the coming years…. As sea levels rise and climate change impacts our shorelines, we need to plan for short-, medium- and long-term changes effectively.”

For both Town Supervisor Levenberg and Victoria Gearity, Mayor of the Village of Ossining, “the critical question is ‘How can we embrace and take advantage of rising-water levels so that it ends up improving our communities and not destroying them?'”

The same sentiment goes for the Village of Briarcliff, which has a more modest stretch of coastline with which to deal. Village of Briarcliff Manager, Philip E. Zegarelli, explained that there’s “a limited area of water access,” which is known as Scarborough Park.

Scarborough Park

Commuters on the Hudson Line are aware of Scarborough as a train stop along the Hudson. But does everyone know that five out of the six acres constitute the 97-year-old Scarborough Park, an acre of useable land with a dock and a lot of potential?

This park land is currently “being addressed under a capital project–the Scarborough Park Restoration Project.” Zegarelli pointed out its purpose: “restore and stabilize the shoreline,” which has been subject to “constant storm and tidal effects of the Hudson River.”

Like Ossining, it too will have to deal with the impact of sea-level changes in the future. Meanwhile, Briarcliff Manor residents and visitors are encouraged “to use the area for picnicking, for enjoying the gorgeous river sunsets, and for fishing.”

And there are always the small lakes that Briarcliff Manor Mayor Steven Vescio says have “great trail ways,” which have been enhanced, “making them more enjoyable for our residents to hike or bike along them.”

So what do you say? Perhaps a trip down by the riverside to the Ossining or the Briarcliff Manor coastline is indeed an idea whose time has come.

For Riverkeeper programming during the pandemic, be sure to visit riverkeeper.org for rescheduled and/or online events.

Preserving a Piece of History at First Baptist Church: A New Kind of Steeple Chase

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PHOTO courtesy of First Baptist Church

Remember when ISIS fighters totally destroyed centuries-old religious sites sacred to the Buddhists and other groups a few years ago?  Many people had a sense of outrage that any group would have the arrogance to destroy what others considered holy.

That’s why when I heard about a majestic church building – First Baptist Church – in need of repair here in Ossining, I wanted to investigate what had happened to it. My second thought was “Perchance, I can aid in its efforts to raise funds for a restoration project.” And, fortunately, the damage done to First Baptist Church, which celebrates its 230th “birthday” this year, is the result of wear-and-tear over decades, not terrorists.

Situated in the strategic area “where Ossining was first established,” First Baptist Church is the second building to stand in the triangle of land buttressing South Highland Avenue, Main Street and Church Street.

The Historic Roots of the Church

The church’s origins date back to Captain Elijah Hunter, a Revolutionary War “aide-de-camp” to George Washington, who employed him as a spy against the British forces. Hunter, who also became a church deacon, opened his home to services for a Baptist church group in April of 1786, in the area of Broad Avenue [formerly called Hunter Lane]. By October 11 of that year, there were fourteen members. Months later, the congregation had grown to 30 members who continued to meet in homes. In 1811, the educationally minded group started the first Sunday School in the Village of Ossining.

On April 15, 1815, the church incorporated as “The First Baptist Church, Village of Sing Sing, Town of Mt. Pleasant, NY.” A laudable fact is that the church was integrated with blacks and whites worshipping together. According to the church’s website in the early years, slaves and their masters attended services. Both were considered full members of the congregation, and treated equally in the church.” Then, in 1890, when entreated to help establish a “black Baptist church” in the area, First Baptist Church lent its full support to what soon became Star of Bethlehem Church on Spring Street.

On June 3, 1874, the current brick building on Church Street was dedicated. Its cost back then was $75,000, mere pennies by today’s standards ($1.59 million), but a small fortune for that day. The congregation had grown to 197 members.

Surviving the Centuries

Over the past 146 years, the current Gothic Revival-style building with its uniquely designed quatrefoils and design elements (built by J. Walsh) has withstood the architectural assault of time. Its original spire from 1874 was blown off during a severe storm twenty years later. In its place a more impressive steeple was installed consisting of a main spire with four smaller spires flanking it on all four corners.

Over the years, various repairs have been made on the church building, as one would expect. Repairing the three-story stained glass window earlier in this millennium was a major undertaking costing thousands of dollars partially paid for by a grant, according to then restoration chair Marcia McCraw.

Bart Sellazzo, a long-time Ossining resident and church member, has gotten used to the idea of things needing repair. As the official bell-ringer, he rings the steeple bell every Sunday at the beginning of the church service. One day, as Bart was ringing the bell, the rope holding the four-foot bell broke. He didn’t describe it as such, but it was probably a miracle of sorts that the bell didn’t crash through the floor of the steeple.

Then, there was the damage caused by the pigeons that had encamped inside the steeple. Bart recalls the day he and church attendee Bill Gallagher went to investigate the problem with the squawking birds. As they assumed, the pigeons had made a mess of the steeple by leaving excrement on the floor. When Bart and Bill climbed the ladders to reach the steeple, they had even more to deal with – deceased birds.

When the current steeple damage was brought to light by a passerby on March 13, 2014, Bart, a painter by trade, was at a job in Connecticut. “You’ve got a problem down here” was the message from former Ossining fire chief Matt Scarduzio, who had contacted Bart about the imminent public-safety danger posed by the wobbling spire.

Bart was not able to rush back from his job, so he contacted Hazel Davis, the church moderator responsible for handling such things as agendas for meetings. Davis rushed over to the building on Church Street and was shocked by the scene before her.

“By the time I got there, the road was blocked,” said Davis. “Fire trucks and police were there, and people from Channel 12… After all was said and done, we contacted the architect who had helped with our window restoration, and he recommended a structural engineering firm whom we contacted.” The firm soon evaluated the steeple damage, and an official fundraising effort was launched.

So, What’s All the New Fuss About?

Ossining has many wonderful old buildings, but not all of them qualify to be placed on the National Register for Historic Places of the United States.  First Baptist Church, however, qualifies as a bona-fide “member” with its handsome Gothic design, stained-glass windows, high-vaulted ceilings, fine interior woodwork, and other architectural attributes.

First Baptist Church also represents 230 years of history and interaction with the Ossining community. From its earliest inception under the guiding hand of Elijah Hunter to the creation of its sister church, Star of Bethlehem, along with the community health organization Open Door, (which started in the church basement), First Baptist Church has made a significant contribution to the local community.

The verbal estimate that the firm gave back in 2014, to repair the steeple was close to $300,000. Today, the cost will likely be 20% to 25% higher, if not more. The entire restoration project has expanded to include repairing the spire, painting the entire building and doing pointing work on the brick. So, the expected costs hovers around one million dollars.

The cost seems higher than one might expect, but Davis explains the cost is partly due to very stringent requirements mandated by the United States Department of the Interior. For example, to maintain its historic status, First Baptist Church is required to ensure that the content balance in the mortar for its brick is the same as that of the original mortar.

Davis still serves as the Steeple Restoration Chair for the committee to oversee the project. Fundraising efforts have been made over the past six years, including starting a GoFundMe account. An application for a grant was submitted in 2019, but it was turned down. As a result of that rejection, fundraising efforts have accelerated.

Giving It Their All and Giving Back

Glenn Courtney, pastor of First Baptist Church, who was being interviewed for his current position at the time of the hazardous steeple issue, says, “Within the first year of my pastorate, in addition to the pre-existing $6,000 in the steeple fund account, we raised $36,000 dollars. Unfortunately, $40,000 dollars is not enough to rebuild a steeple.”

If anyone thinks the church is sitting back twirling its thumbs, think again. Courtney explained, “These past five and a half years, our congregation has been blessed with talent and fundraising ideas such as: Valentine’s Day dinners complete with Italian music in the upper room of the Church arranged by the Sellazzo family and tag sales for the community.”

Still, with a fundraising goal of at least a million dollars, reaching it seems a long way off. Which is why Courtney is making a heart-felt plea to all local history buffs, architecture fans, traditionalists, and members of faith communities: “While the future mission of the church always includes spreading the love of God, human compassion, visiting the sick, showing brother and sisterly love, helping strangers, hospitality, good works and the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19 -20, First Baptist Church also has become very much aware that the goal is not only mission, but mission and maintenance.”

“It’s a truism, but every organization needs to have a combination of both mission and maintenance,” adds Courtney. “Otherwise, an organization’s mission is likely to suffer.” Mission aside, who can argue with his points that “preservation of this historical church is vital to retaining our community’s heritage, which is also part of our nation’s history” or that “being able to see something of our past helps us to better engage with our present, thereby giving us a brighter hope for the future and the next generation.”

In our time, when attending a religious establishment might seem, alas, less vital than it had been in former years, one might well ask, “Why should we protect old buildings?” Perhaps one of the best reasons, along with being a great fundraising appeal, comes from Martin Fox, an art historian, in his response to the www.quora.com question “Should we look after old buildings?” Fox noted: “Some old buildings are extraordinary works of architecture that couldn’t be remade today…. Other buildings are by influential architects and are worth preserving for their aesthetic and historical value.”

Clearly, First Baptist Church of Ossining qualifies on both the aesthetic and the historical levels. Its steeple restoration project includes repairing the steeple and repainting the church. But it represents so much more than that.

Community members may donate directly to First Baptist Church of Ossining (1 Church Street, Ossining, NY 10562) or via their website at www.historicfirstbaptist.org or via GoFundMe