River Rowing Association Trying For Boathouses

With the possible , one group of Rocklanders is more concerned with what will happen beneath the bridge than on top of it.

Since 2003, members of the River Rowing Association, based out of Nyack, have rowed on the Hudson River near and underneath the Tappan Zee Bridge.

“It’s a community rowing center that really is offering better programs for everybody,” said Peter Klose, director of River Rowing Association. “Right now we have about 70 kids rowing in different programs, and about 20 adults rowing in programs.”

Klose added that River Rowing provides the rowing services for the Clarkstown Central School District and occasionally holds adaptive programs for .

But the group faces a major issue when facing the proposed bridge—the construction would take them out of the water for at least four years. They also row in Congers in Congers Lake, but that’s not as big of a space.

“You’re constantly having to turn around, which is a drag in a 60-foot boot,” Klose said.

The group is now trying to secure funding for a boathouse located beneath the new bridge by having it included in the actual Tappan Zee Bridge cost. The plan includes a boathouse on the other side of the Hudson, as well. The boathouse would give people easier river access and help out Nyack’s economic development, Klose said.

Currently, the RRA stores boats in the Nyack Marina.

“It would be a facility that you can use as a community to access one our greatest assets,” Klose added. “People can come to Nyack, use the village, go to restaurants. Right now, the land is totally underused and is not encouraging anyone to use it or come into village.”

The group has a petition online with 222 signatures, and Klose said in comparison to the rest of the $5.2 billion project, the boathouses are miniscule.

“They could be built in like one week,” he said. “We’re not a necessity, but we’re going to probably lose our water for four or five years. This is something that’s good for community and will encourage waterfront development.”

With a more permanent home, the River Rowing Association would look to expand its services to students, possibly adding after school programs as well as tutoring and SAT prep, based on a similar program done by Row New York.

Klose said that right now rowing is a “hot sport” and something that can be beneficial for high school students applying to colleges to have on their resumes. He added that its especially good for females to have on their resume, as for every girl that rows in high school, there are three girls that row in college. Of the high school seniors in the Association’s programs, Klose said, all of them plan on rowing in college.

“Right now, our community is underserved in terms of rowing,” Klose said. “We’re trying to reach out into our community.”