Town of Highlands American Patriot Garden

David Kamp, Dirtworks, Inc. September 16, 2002 Site Visit

General Notes/Context

Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain bridge and the natural landscape surrounding the town of Highlands are full of beauty and history. Photo: Erika Svendsen


Highlands is a historic community in a scenic, natural area along the Hudson River. Close by the site (within one mile) is a significant Revolutionary War battlefield currently being developed into a state park. In the vicinity of Highlands is a popular state park, Bear Mountain, and West Point military academy.

The site is adjacent to a picturesque pond and alongside Route 9W and the Greenway Trail, a popular hiking trail connected to the Appalachian Trail. The southern approach to the site is along the pond. While overhead utility poles diminish the pond side ambiance, there is a clear view of the site. Across the street is a significant development currently under construction incorporating 100 units of housing and some commercial use. The surrounding area is mixed residential and commercial.


Much of the exisitng asphalt will be removed to create a living memorial. Photo: Lindsay Campbell

The site currently houses the temporary headquarters of the town police and is accessed by the area’s main thoroughfare Route 9W. The terrain in the front of the site, surrounding the police trailer and parking lot, is flat with an open lawn and several ornamental trees. The remaining site is wooded with a rolling terrain. Asphalt is by far the dominant ground cover.

Considerations

When the police trailer is relocated, the developed portion of the site has the advantage of level paved access from Route 9W, sufficient parking and readily available power and water. These are significant savings. But because the paved area is more extensive than required and a portion of the paved area was previously used for dumping, the cost of excavation, removals and new topsoil will need to be factored into the project budget.

Adjacency to the highway and trails and proximity to local areas of interest offer the opportunity for many individuals to visit the Living Memorial. Traffic volumes and noises will need to be addressed. This is particularly true with the large influx of new residences and commercial traffic. Traffic studies and controls (such as stoplights) may need to be considered to insure safe and easy pedestrian and vehicular access.

Evergreen screens along the highway may help reduce the visual impact of the traffic. To address traffic noise, consider placing the public areas and activities close to parking and the highway, placing the more quiet and private areas further into the property and woodlands.

Evergreens may be necessary along the site’s perimeter (including the woodlands) to insure adjacent residential and commercial areas are sufficiently screened in the winter months.

Consider coordinating with the nearby development and traffic consultants to see if the highway utility poles can be relocated to the opposite side of the road in order to provide a pleasant unobstructed view of the pond and Living Memorial site.

The woodland and pond offer exciting opportunities to enjoy the pleasures of nature. Their enhancement should be an important consideration. Access to the pond should be carefully sited to avoid disturbing wildlife nesting sites. Activities such as the recording and monitoring of wildlife, researching and identifying native woodland and aquatic species, etc. provide opportunities for community groups (such as scouts, etc.) to become involved in the memorial’s development and enhancement.

Highlands site and pond
The adjacent pond is visible in the background of current plantings and a flagpole. Photo: Lindsay Campbell

The site’s generous size, relatively level terrain and varied natural settings (open lawn, woodland, shoreline) offer the opportunity to develop a variety of interesting, easily accessible public and private settings.

Plans call for a phased approach to developing the site. This offers flexibility in future development to accommodate changing needs and interests in the community.

Plans also call for adding a variety of native trees to enhance the existing woodlands. A special variety (such as the Heritage Elm, etc.) could be selected to be the signature tree of the Living Memorial and incorporated into a community-wide tree program. This would enhance and unite the entire community and insure the Living Memorial becomes part of the daily life of the community.