Friends of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site

In a clear and unequivocal decision which was issued on January 8, 2020, New York State Supreme Court granted a motion for summary judgment requested by FOWCAS and denied a motion for summary judgment requested by The Landing. The court ORDERED that the HOA shall not lock the gate on the footbridge during daylight hours or otherwise unreasonably block the Village residents from traversing the footbridge during daylight hours. In a related case, the court sided with the Village of Dobbs Ferry denying a motion requested by The Landing, preserving the victory that the Village won earlier.

This was a complete victory for FOWCAS, the Village of Dobbs Ferry, and all its residents. It makes Dobbs Ferry a more walkable community and preserves Westchester County’s “RiverWalk” plan of a 51.5-mile multi-faceted pathway paralleling the Hudson.

Sadly, The Landing has appealed both decisions.  The cost of the Village’s defense will be borne by Dobbs Ferry taxpayers. FOWCAS notes that locking the gate at night has alleviated the nuisance issues that prompted a lock being installed on the gate to the footbridge. FOWCAS has never objected to locking the gate at night (despite how The Landing has characterized our position). We call on The Landing to accept the court’s ruling and put an end to this costly litigation.  

FOWCAS wishes to thank our pro bono attorney Todd D. Ommen, who is the Managing Attorney, Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Inc. and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, at Pace University. Mr. Ommen is also a resident of Dobbs Ferry. We also thank his many students who worked on this case over the years. 

On almost every weekend, during the warm weather months, you will find our volunteers hauling out trash from the ravine.  On this day we removed a large couch.  Carrying it up the embankment was not easy!