By ELLEN BEST
Call me crazy. Sometimes I drive through Scotts Corners just to experience Pound Ridge’s special small-town feeling. I love to see young families enjoying the Green on a sunny morning or people strolling through town.
On that note, as I segue from my former “Talk of the Town” column highlighting weekly events in Pound Ridge to a more focused monthly column, I don’t want to move away completely from that format. The connection to everything going on locally is a big part of what moves me to write in this space.
Last weekend at the Pound Ridge Library, I heard world-class jazz from Pete Malinverni and his trio plus vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli. I don’t think Ms. Stravelli ever stopped smiling during her spirited delivery of jazz standards to which she added a holiday flare. Sitting amongst locals who were enjoying the performance during this holiday season made my Pound Ridge pride swell even more. Earlier in the day, the Pound Ridge Business Association’s Holiday Market on the Green provided energy and warmth to the town on a chilly day.
Going forward, make sure you don’t miss local goings-on (after you read the popular Police Reports) by checking out the “Out & About” calendar listings in The Recorder. Being part of the community is rewarding. We all value our privacy, but connections to others can “significantly improve your overall health and well-being,” according to the AI Overview that came up when I Googled “community.”
That’s how I felt interacting with my neighbor, Ted Dowey, when I went out for a walk recently. He was about to go on a bike ride when I stopped him to say I was impressed with the large cluster of shiny, silvery gears of all sizes on the bike’s rear wheel. He had just installed them and was out for a test ride.
That was just the first gear in our conversation. Second gear: I asked him how he was doing at his job working for the New York State Department of Conservation. He said he was still helping make sure that 8 million people in New York City and one million residents upstate had access to drinking water. Whoa, that’s no drop-in-the bucket kind of responsibility.
Nor is it a jacket and tie kind of job. As both a geologist and engineer, Ted oversees the construction of aqueducts from reservoirs, and he says those projects are “underground, potentially dangerous, and exotic.” He’s on-site for the drilling, blasting, mucking out and assemblage of concrete forms, making sure the rocks don’t fall unexpectedly.
When Ted’s second billion-dollar aqueduct project is completed (editor’s note: drought conditions have temporarily put the project on hold), the network will be the world’s longest. Some of the water tunnels have a diameter of 24 feet and can exist 600 feet beneath the Hudson River. It’s a stark reminder of how vital yet invisible the extensive water infrastructure is to daily life.
Ted’s fascination with geology began at Colorado College during bus excursions with his geology class. Those trips opened his eyes as to how mountains are formed, and the natural forces of earthquakes, snowstorms and avalanches. After attending mining school at Columbia University and then a job prospecting for diamonds in Africa, he began working for the DEC and the New York City water system.
Here in Pound Ridge, Ted also helps with the water issue, albeit on a much smaller scale, by lending his expertise as a member of the Pound Ridge Water/Wastewater Task Force. In Scotts Corners, where contaminated water is a concern, properties in the newly-approved water district will have access to water via the Aquarion Water Company.
Bike touring, sometimes covering as many as 100 miles in one day, has been his passion since his teen years, cycling from Maine to Quebec, around Alaska and Europe, and in the remote Death Valley where his camping group almost got trampled by wild, mating burros. “I love the adventure and self-reliant travel on unpaved roads,” he told me in a follow up phone conversation, adding that “seeing the countryside at an appropriate pace is much better than traveling by car.”
After 40 years with the DEC, when he retires next year, he’s looking forward to going downhill — on his bike, that is. Once again, he’ll be pedaling up mountain passes in the U.S. and abroad and then cruising downhill at speeds up to 60 mph. “That’s my real reward,” he said.
Speaking with Ted got me thinking about water and how we manage it for both basic living and agriculture. Our residential wells are a lot simpler than Ted’s network of aqueducts and reservoirs. Around the world, especially in agriculture, water usage may not be as efficient. Soil mismanagement can negatively affect the utilization of water, affecting soil fertility and plant health, ultimately impacting global health and the environment.
What can we do? I’m doing my small part in our backyard garden by minimizing soil disturbance and keeping it covered with mulch, perennial plants and seasonal crops. The nutrient rich blanket of broken up leaves that I recently spread will protect the garden beds this winter (I love my electric leaf mulcher!). The leaf mulch will help keep the moisture and air in the soil, allowing for healthy root systems and nutritious plants come spring.
Whether it’s Ted’s dedication to supplying people with water, treating our soil right, or appreciating our connections to each other, it’s all about putting your best foot forward.
Ellen Best is a longtime Pound Ridge resident and cheerleader. In her monthly column, “Best Foot Forward,” she explores the many aspects of life and living in Pound Ridge. If you have questions or suggestions for future topics, email her at esbest8@gmail.com.