Saturday, November 17, 2018

Progress on the Nack Center

The idea for the Everett Nack Estuary Education Center, a project of the Hudson Sloop Club, was first introduced in 2015. In 2016, the Sloop Club received a $91,780 grant from the Hudson River Estuary Program to construct the center, which was essentially a repurposed shipping container.

In 2017, the Nack Center became linked with a proposed public pier, which was identified as a Priority Project in Hudson's DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) application. At the beginning of this year, the Nack Center and the public pier were Phase I and Phase II respectively of a larger project vying for DRI funding called "Railroad Point Pier."


Although the public pier started out as a priority project, it ended up not getting funded. Now the Nack Center is moving forward on its own. Yesterday, a legal notice appeared in the Register-Star soliciting sealed bids on the project. The RFP and the drawings for the project can be found on the Hudson Sloop Club website 

The Everett Nack Estuary Education Center is now Phase I of a two-phased project--Phase II being the restoration of the abandoned railroad trestle over the embayment that borders Rick's Point on the south as a footbridge.

 COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

3 comments:

  1. These are excellent projects, whereas the expanded pier was not what it seemed to be.

    In my own effort to defeat the problematic pier, I ascertained that funding for the Nack Center was in no danger because there's no limit on the number of grant extensions available.

    I'm glad to know that the original project is moving forward, and also that it will include the railroad bridge which Mr. Doyle did so much to promote during the 2008-2011 LWRP effort. (Anyone familiar with that flawed process won't be surprised to learn that the bridge never even appeared in the LWRP document; now it no longer matters.)

    It is concerning, though, that our current Planning Board was unrealistic and even irresponsible about access to the Nack Center. Go and see for yourself how the proposed entry footpath will squeeze between the road to Colarusso and the end of the long slip above the sewer outfall. For this reason, every effort should be made to repair the bridge for pedestrian use as early as possible.

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    1. "White Whale Limited," experiencing some technical difficulties with Google Blogger, submitted this response:

      And this is the same "unrealistic and even irresponsible" Planning Board which you have assured us will have final approval of the Stewart's expansion plan.

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    2. An excellent point White Whale Ltd, and a concern for the Colarusso situation as well if I didn't believe that the Planning Board has learned some things this year. It took some time to find its legs.

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