Jeff Wilson | The Hudson Independent | Sept. 3, 2023
Gazing out over the waterfront at the Tarrytown Marina, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie listened as village officials and Heastie’s colleague in Albany, 92nd Assembly District representative MaryJane Shimsky (who spearheaded the tour), explained the need to extend the dock into deeper water to avoid grounding Tarrytown’s Emergency Services Fireboat in low tide. This upgrade, which assures that the vessel can respond to emergencies more safely and effectively, will now become reality courtesy of a $150,000 grant the village had already received from the state.
Speaker Heastie was in the Rivertowns on August 31 for the purpose of viewing and eventually funding (to the tune of $2.1 million in addition to the dock grant) various infrastructure projects in Tarrytown, Irvington and Dobbs Ferry. The intervillage trip would include a stop in Irvington, to view “Yesterday,” a new sculpture depicting an enslaved girl.
Heastie’s tour was delayed for three hours by an accident on the New York State Thruway on the western end of the Mario Cuomo Bridge that backed up traffic for 12 miles.
Once in the Rivertowns, Heastie’s visit was all business, with none of the ceremony that often accompanies a visit by a high-ranking official. This trip was all about infrastructure….