Bedford eyes public fishing boat access for residents

BEDFORD, N.Y. - Bedford officials have been quietly seeking a deal with New York City that would put town-owned fishing boats in the Muscoot Reservoir for residents to use.

It’s still behind-the-scenes talk with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), but Supervisor Ellen Calves told the May 5 Town Board meeting she hoped to have final details wrapped up soon enough to launch the boats as early as next month.

The DEP, which oversees the city’s reservoirs, allows fishing in them. Indeed, it encourages it, boasting of anglers routinely catching bass at 4 or 5 pounds and lake trout topping 15 pounds. Fishing is permitted from shore or out on the waters, but only in boats that meet DEP criteria and are stored at a single reservoir, like Muscoot.

“There are all those fishing boats lined up along the reservoir that people own and have licenses to use,” Calves said at the meeting. “I brought it up with DEP over the years [asking], ‘Hey, what about the town getting a couple of . . . boats so we can make the program more accessible to more people?’”

The supervisor’s remarks came as the Town Board formally voted to apply to DEP for approval of the town fishing boats.

To make Muscoot more accessible, Calves said, the town would buy two boats and keep them at the reservoir for residents’ use.

Town Clerk Alexandra Whalen and the Recreation and Parks Department “worked out some rules and regulations that we’ve presented to DEP about how this program would work,” the supervisor said.

For one, any prospective boat user would need both a state fishing license and DEP access permit. “Hopefully,” Calves said, “we’ll have an info session to help people understand how to use [the new opportunity}: how to get the boat, pick up the life jacket and oars, things like that.”

HOUSING POLICY WORK GROUP

David Cone-Gorham, chair of the newly formed Housing Policy Work Group, updated the Town Board on progress by the panel, established to address Bedford’s “very real” housing needs.

The working group began in March to study obstacles to meaningful development of various kinds of multifamily, affordable housing, work-force housing, senior housing, and other housing types. and to culminate with a report and recommendations for potential town, county and state advocacy.

By summer, the group plans to complete its work and submit a report with recommendations for change in policies, systems and processes, resources and compliance.