New York State Thruway Authority Board Chairman Howard P. Milstein has announced the 16 members of the Visual Quality Panel (VQP) to add new aesthetic improvements and ensure the local community has input in the appearance of the New NY Bridge.
The VQP will provide aesthetic guidance and support to the Tappan Zee Constructors team by providing input on the design of the shared use path, belvederes, landscaping, art, historic/cultural installations, and lighting. Additionally, the VQP will help ensure that public concerns about aesthetics are considered in the ongoing development of the design.
The panel will consist of one chair appointed by the Thruway Authority, a visual quality manager from the design-build team and from the Authority, and 13 public representatives.
The members of the VQP are:
- Brian Conybeare, VQP Chair, Special Advisor to Governor Cuomo, Thruway Authority
- Darrell E. Waters, Design-Build Team Visual Quality Manager, Tappan Zee Constructors
- Heather Sporn, Thruway Authority Visual Quality Manager, NYS Dept. of Transportation
- David Aukland, Tarrytown Planning Board
- Suzanne Barclay, Town of Orangetown
- John Bonafide, Division for Historic Preservation, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
- Ed Burroughs, Westchester County Planning Commissioner
- Jerry Faiella, Executive Director of Historic Hudson River Towns, former New Castle Town Administrator
- Robert Fellows, Rockland Center for the Arts
- Barbara Hess, Hess Architects
- Andrew Klemmer, President of Paratus Group and Scarsdale resident
- Richard Kohlhausen, Rockland County Community College Board, Capitol Risk Management
- Elma Reingold, Irvington Resident, Assistant Principal of the High School of Art and Design, NYC
- Alison Spear, Ennead Architects
- Thomas Vanderbeek, Rockland County Planning Commissioner
- Victoria Weisel, MS, LMSW, Irving Neighborhood Association
“Along with expanding mass transit, a central goal of this project is to give the people of Westchester and Rockland Counties, as well as the entire Hudson Valley, a bridge they can be proud of,” said Thruway Authority Chairman Howard P. Milstein. “The Visual Quality Panel will give the public a direct line to the design team. Their recommendations will help us make informed decisions about what options on the bridge are best for the surrounding communities.”
The VQP will begin meeting on a regular basis this month.
