All walks will be led by a member of Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct
April 3 – Ossining Weir tour. See video to learn about the Old Croton Aqueduct, then descend into the original brick pre-Civil War water tunnel. Meet at 10:00 AM at the Ossining Community Center at 95 Broadway adjacent to the aqueduct, just west of Highland Ave./Rt. 9. Information: 914-762-4082
Take advantage of the snow and try skiing on the trail. It's amazingly good in certain sections. I went out 3 times last week on the sections from Dobbs Ferry down to Yonkers.If you are the first one out you have to make a track away from the walkers' path - which is a bit slow going but on your return it's good. One has to clump across the streets and occasionally take the skis off - at 5 corners in Hastings for instance.
On November 4, a bus load of eager 11th graders from the Academy of Urban Planning studied the water system of the area from the upstate watershed to the Aqueduct.
In our area, they started at the Croton Dam. Student Venise Morales said, "The beauty of it is amazing, especially considering it is man-made." Kiara Rogrigues added "So many people put their lives on the line to make it." And Camille Velasquez noted that the Aqueduct "was built by hand, not by machinery. Irish people came from the potato famine to help build the tunnel..."
The event, hosted by the Friends to honor Assemblyman Mike Spano and Groundwork Hudson Valley for their support of the Aqueduct, took place on October 21, a beautiful autumn day, at the juncture of the trail and Lamartine Avenue.
Since Mike Spano had an important meeting in Albany, our good friend, former State Senator Nick Spano, stood in for his brother, pulling off the paper cover of one of the signs with appropriate panache.
On October 3rd, Troop 24 left Croton Dam and walked south as far as Dobbs Ferry, a hike that took all day. The boys and their troop leaders spent the night at the beautiful Waterfront park beside the Hudson river. It was cold... br-r.
For the next lap of the journey they chose November 7. They left the Keeper's House early and walked as far as the High Bridge. Thanks to the Friends' trusty map, they made it!
On November 11th, the History Channel crew will be filming the Croton Dam and inside the Aqueduct tunnel. The Friends historian Bob Kornfeld will be on-camera giving the history of The Aqueduct. Our next report will tell you when to see it on television.
The Emerging New York Architects Committee, AIA NY Chapter, announces its fourth biennial international ideas competition incorporating the historic High Bridge, the oldest standing bridge in NYC. ENYA challenges entrants to create a public facility that fosters the development of experimental, innovative art forms.
REGISTRATION BEGINS: September 10, 2009 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: November 20, 2009 SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 15, 2010
On Sunday, October 11, on a cloudless day, Tom led a group of more than 20 hardy walkers through the parts of the sity that are atop the Aqueduct. They started at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, made a short tour inside the 135th St Gatehouse and then on to the CCNY campus. In Hamilton Heights they saw the Alexander Hamilton House now moved to a park like setting.
Tom's famous notebook was shared so that all could get a better grasp of the history.
In "Under New York," aired last month, we see the inside of the Aqueduct raw - totally natural with bats flying about and the grunge that accumulates with time. The explorers had to do confined space training and there they are, splashing through the dark and foreboding tunnel with hard hats and head lamps. One of the best parts is when they come upon a "dead air" section and they are running for air, one after the other, then scrambling up the ladder to safety. This section of the Aqueduct is not the refined and well-lit section that we have in Ossining.
Part of the pleasure of walking the Aqueduct is finding the off-shoots and exploring them. On September 13, five brave women with Mavis and Joe Kozlowski tackled the overgrown carriage road from the Aqueduct to Untermyer Park starting at the Lion and the headless unicorn.
Happy Water or Acqua Felice....That’s what Pope Sixtus V called the Aqueduct that he commanded to be opened in 1585. Now why didn’t John Jervis think of a pretty name like that? Acqua Felice was an aqueduct that brought water to the area north of Rome, It was Pope Sixtus’ big achievement. I learned this at an exhibition in Ottawa Canada on the artistic achievements of the popes of the 16th C . I learned a lot about the various popes’ less pure activities, too. Mavis Cain.
Ed Rondthaler, typographer, inventor, historian, author, civic activist, advocate of phonetic spelling, and raconteur, died at age 104 on August 19.
A member of Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct since its beginning, he twice gave illustrated talks - in 1999 and 2000 - at our annual meetings. With inimitable charm he shared his love and knowledge of the Croton River, which he and his wife Dot explored on foot and by canoe from the sources of its three tributaries to its estuary.
I spent a happy hour in the basement of the Keeper's House with the beady eyed restoration experts from Steve Tilly's office. These talented people were tapping against crumbling walls, inspecting under floorboards to discover a pattern of cobblestones and making notes on clipboards. If it weren't such positive proof of the project getting underway, it would have been a claustrophobic experience. There was a small brick fireplace that maybe was used for cooking in a downstairs kitchen. Ceilings are low - but even a six footer can walk easily in the area.
We're in the thick of Aquefest planning, but here's a sneak peak of the day...At the Keepers House in DOBBS FERRY award-winning storyteller, Johnathan Kruk, will engage and delight young and old with historic tales of Henry Hudson, Robert Fulton and our own Aqueduct History! Other highlights...The Sleepy Hollow String Band, Janet Grice Trio, Aqueduct Art and fun! In HASTINGS...Acoustic Riverrun, sing along the trail with the Clearwater Walkabout Chorus, Aqueduct art, story circle and more. Stay tuned for performance schedule and times.
The Friends recently received news of the award of a Recreational Trails grant to make the steep slope entry to the trail in Dobbs Ferry at Cedar and Main accessible to the elderly and handicapped, bikers and mothers with strollers. This grant was a very competitive one and The Friends were thrilled to receive it.
The President thanks Dobbs Ferry Mayor Scott Seskin, Trustee Paula Dambroff, and Jerry Mulligan of the Westchester County Planning Department for supporting this application.
On Thursday, July 30th, board members met with Tilly architects at Tilly Studios to go over detailed plans for construction work on the Keeper's House. We discussed plans as detailed as placement of the boiler and how to repairs the beautiful plaster ceiling medallions in the main room and in the foyer.
The recent New York State Preservation Grant awarded to the Friends in June will help cover the gap between the original estimate and the revised estimate for construction.
Construction bids will go out before the end of the year.
There's good news on the restoration of the historic Keeper's House. This year the Friends undertook the work to restore the porch as a first step. Board member Carl Grimm was our lead architect and supervisor and now the porch has a beautiful roof, new gutters, columns that have been faithfully restored and a new porch floor.
All walks will be led by a member of Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct
Take advantage of the snow and try skiing on the trail. It's amazingly good in certain sections. I went out 3 times last week on the sections from Dobbs Ferry down to Yonkers.If you are the first one out you have to make a track away from the walkers' path - which is a bit slow going but on your return it's good. One has to clump across the streets and occasionally take the skis off - at 5 corners in Hastings for instance. 
On October 3rd, Troop 24 left Croton Dam and walked south as far as Dobbs Ferry, a hike that took all day. The boys and their troop leaders spent the night at the beautiful Waterfront park beside the Hudson river. It was cold... br-r.
by Cornelia Cotton
