Donald J. Trump State Park
Under Construction...
This lens is not a criticism of Mr. Trump. I am thankful to Mr. Trump for his generosity in donating this land for public use. I am merely pointing out the lack of response on the part of our public servants, the New York State Park Services, for not delivering on those promises. Please help and take the polls at the bottom. I am interested in your opinion.
A history of this topic...
A short history summary on the Trump State Park and current status.
- April 19, 2006 - Governor George Pataki of NY and Donald Trump announcing Land Gift.
- May 9, 2006 - Journal News article published on "Trump stands to benefit from land donated for park".
- Nov.? 2006 - Four road signs was installed on the Taconic Parkway, 2 north bound and 2 south bound near the Baldwin Rd. Exit and the Jefferson Valley exit. The sign reads "Donald J Trump State Park French Hill/Indian Hill Section NEXT RIGHT".
- Nov. 28, 2006 - A letter addressed to the Governor's office was sent by me regarding the "naming" of the Park after Mr. Trump and a copy of the letter was sent to the Journal News and published in the Letters section.
My letter - Dec. 7, 2006 - An article appeared in the Journal News "Road signs for Trump Park raise questions".
- Dec. 13, 2006 - A letter was sent to NYS Parks Commissioner Ms. Bernadette Castro regarding the "naming" of the State Park along with the suggestion that a plaque would be a better honor to bestow on Mr. Trump. It also brought up the problem with the current status of the Park. The lack of facilities and the incompleteness of the park for the public.
- April 20, 2007 - Created Squidoo lens to publicize this issue. It has been 6 months and no Park is in sight. Follow up letters were sent to the Governor and the Parks dept. and Mr. Trump. So far no responses.
- May 19, 2007 - A new article appeared in the Journal News. See link below. Apparently, the Park is open to the public. I wonder if there is a safety risk for the public. With no facilities present and no lighting or parking or trail signs...
- June 11, 2007 - Received letter of response from Carol Ash, NYS Park Commissioner. Please check below for entire content of her letter. They basically pass the buck to the previous administration regarding the naming of this park and to the Department of Transportation for installing the signs.
A photo gallery French Hill section (as of April 20, 2007)
Here are some recent photos of the Trump State Park (French Hill section).
- Road sign on the south bound Taconic Parkway just prior to the Baldwin Road Exit.
- A small sign directing the motorist to the State Park.
- A view of the single lane access road to the Dead End street where the Park is located.
- At the end of the road. The front entrance to the Park I assume...
- The left side of the gate - under construction.
- The right side of the gate.
- The roadway leading away from the Park.
- The construction in progress...
- A pit covered over...
A photo gallery Indian Hill section (as of April 26, 2007)
Status of current construction at the Indian Hill section.
- Raod sign on Old Route 6 intersecting Indian Hill Road.
- Single lane road approx. 1/2 mile to the park.
- Road leading to the park entrance.
- Trump State Park sign by the entrance.
- Left side view of main gate.
- Right side view of main gate.
- Front view of main gate to Trump State Park.
What a typical Park should be?
On the Dec. 7, 2006 Journal News article, a spokesperson for the Parks department, Wendy Gibson, said and I quote "The first priority is access. In the next three to four weeks, there will be temporary parking, information kiosk, signs and gates..." We are 6 months into the time when the signs first was installed. There is little indication of a Park at the 2 locations.
Here is a list of what a typical park should consist of:
Here is a list of what a typical park should consist of:
- parking space.
- paved access roads.
- Signs and lighting.
- Restrooms.
- Water fountain.
- Map of the area and list of amenities.
- An Entrance sign with the name prominently displayed.
Historical information on William Baldwin
In the process of researching this lot, Mr. Richard Crawford of Peekskill NY, has uncovered some very interesting history related to the French Hill section. It seems that Mr. William Baldwin have donated a plot of land back in 1928 to help with the construction of the Taconic Parkway. As a tribute to Mr. Baldwin, a bronze plaque was erected on a stone near that site.
- A photo of an existing plaque located on the east side of the Taconic parkway near the Baldwin Rd. Exit.
- The inscription on the plaque read:
French Hill Farm
An Estate of 550 acres assembled by William Delavan Baldwin
First President of Westchester County Park Commission.
Established 1922
The heights east of this spot were occupied by the French army
under Rochambeau during the American Revolution.
Mr. Baldwin donated more than 25 acres of this farm including this site
to the State of New York in 1928 for the Bronx River Parkway extension
build under the direction of the Westchester Park Commission.
What should happen going forward?
Here are a few suggestions going forward.
- For the Park Services - Please get your act together and finish the Park as promised.
- In the meantime, please cover up the road signs. It leads to nowhere at the moment.
- After the park is completed, please consider putting up a plaque to honor Mr. Trump for his generosity.
- At he same time, please consider re-naming the 2 Parks to some more appropriate names.
- To Mr. Trump - please use your clout with the Park Services and the Governor's office and push to get the Park finished as promised. Do you want a Park associated with the Trump brand to be left in shambles?
Official response letter from Park Commissioner
Some related links...
- Trump announces donation of land
- Donald donates land for State Park in Yorktown Hts. NY.
- A local news article on this topic
- I was interviewed and quoted for this article.
- A Trump development in nearby Shrub Oak.
- A seniors luxury living.
- NY State Park naming contest for Tioga Park
- Check out the rules - no names of a living person.
- Phil Reisman commentary
- Another view of Trump State Park
- Wikipedia entry on the Taconic Parkway
- A reference to the Baldwin plaque.
- Trump Organization main site
- The Trump Organization.
- New York State Parks Department
- New York State Parks Services
- NY State Governor
- The official Governor's web site.
- Yorktown Heights NY
- The official Yorktown website.
- Trump to receive Green Award
- A dinner sponsored by the Friends of Westchester Parks.
- A new Journal News story on Trump park
- Apparently, the Park is open for business but needs work...
Name the new Park
A poll to see what is your preference for naming the new State park.
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What to do about the road signs?
What should be done to the road signs on the Taconic Parkway (until the Parks are ready for the public use).
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Reader Feedback
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Reply
- Patty G Patty G Apr 17, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
- I used to attend the Indian Hill Riding Academy from 1973 - 1980 that was located there until the 80s. The stable owner used to point out areas that have been used by indians and tell the history of the land. It should be named Indian Hill, in my opinion, so we don't forget the indians that used to call that spot of land their home. Thank you Mr. Trump for donating this amazing piece of land to be preserved forever.
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Reply
- Donald Donald Oct 10, 2008 @ 11:35 am
- With an over abunance of deer population in westchester and since state tax dollars as well as DEC dollars are being used to build these parks. These lands should made avaiable to archery hunters during the bow only season in westchester county.
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Reply
- Donald Donald Oct 10, 2008 @ 11:35 am
- With an over abunance of deer population in westchester and since state tax dollars as well as DEC dollars are being used to build these parks. These lands should made avaiable to archery hunters during the bow only season in westchester county.
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Reply
- Ronald Timcoe Ronald Timcoe Feb 20, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
- Maybe if trump new what an eyesore was sitting there with his name plastered on it, he would do something about lighting a fire under these people.
Why don't you all take these pictures and send them to him ??
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Reply
- Clayt Clayt Oct 21, 2007 @ 2:33 pm
- Well, the French Hill section now has a sign. There are trails that are quite usable although one is blocked by trees. We went for a very nice walk with our dogs today, even encountering another dog walker. We look forward to further development of the park, a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
- Load More
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