NEVERSINK — The Town of Neversink is looking toward expanding its parking options at the Route 42 Community Park after Deputy Supervisor Ric Coombe gave the public a potential outlook regarding recent talks with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) pertaining to a possible land-use permit.

During the town’s latest monthly public board meeting, Supervisor Chris Mathews described a recent meeting that Coombe and he took part in with the DEP via Zoom, discussing land the town is looking to use for additional parking.

Coombe stated that the DEP believed it could provide the town with a land-use permit for the property adjacent to the park, having already sent an application for the town to fill out.

“We got to look at it [that application], work on drafting … what we want, kind of some sketching,” Coombe noted, remarking that he doesn’t expect the agency to require “massive engineering” for the proposal.

Now, the town needs to decide the amount of parking spaces that would deem the project worthwhile. Coombe added that while the town would naturally like to have as many spots as possible available for parking, it must draw a line where the cost of adding more spaces would become nonsensical.

One of the primary goals of the project, however, centers around public safety. The town is trying to reduce the need for visitors to cross the road to park.

The project also underscores a larger goal for the Town of Neversink, which is a possible land swap with New York City.

This would involve the town exchanging land under its ownership that it mows near the city’s property below the ball fields for land near the park.

Such an exchange, however, comes with its own set of challenges due to easements on New York City watershed properties. Coombe detailed that while the city owns the land, the state DEC oversees the easements, necessitating state approval to relieve the specific easement should a land swap occur.

Currently, the town is planning to keep working on that land-use application and moving the parking project ahead.

“They’re willing to look and talk and work with us,” Coombe stated of DEP.