The Future for Oakdale Lake

The first public workshop to be held as part of the Hudson Valley Initiative project to revitalize Oakdale Lake and the surrounding park took place on Saturday. The workshop was well attended--all the usual suspects as well as many newer faces--and there was no shortage of ideas and aspirations for what the park should be. The challenge for the planners from the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning at Columbia University will be to balance all the diverse community interests in what is, after all, a relatively small space.

To approach the visioning task, the group was asked to divide up among three tables, representing three uses of the park: Youth Infrastructure, Nature Preserve, and Public Park. After an hour of discussion and conceptualizing, each table reported what they'd come up with. Here's what was on each group's list:

YOUTH INFRASTRUCTURE

• Bigger and better skate park
• Bike racks
• Dog park
• Bigger pavilion and more covered spaces
• Kiddie pool (there used to be one)
• Designated fishing area
• Bathrooms
• Ice skating on the lake in winter
• Improved playground
• Path that is not slippery and dangerous

NATURE PRESERVE

• Walkable and safe trail around the lake
• Connection to Harlem Valley Rail Trail and Empire State Trail
• Observation platform for kids to study nature
• Inventory of the trees in the park
• Appreciation of birds that visit the park
• Keeping park natural, not a "huge man-made environment"

PUBLIC PARK

• Ice skating on the lake in winter
• Fishing piers
• Dog park
• Greater accessibility to different people
• New playground--exploration zone made of natural materials
• Shade structures
• Improved trail
• Art installations
• Improved access points
• More swimming access points
• Nature or science area around the ponds
• Natural water fountain from the spring
• Park as a focal point for the community, where people of different ages come together
• Small beer garden or cafe (for people who want to have a picnic but don't want to bring their own food)
• Small outdoor theater (there is a natural amphitheater)
• Expand park to Spring Street

The Youth Infrastructure group and the Public Park group had a few ideas for the park in common: ice skating, fishing piers, a dog park, more structures providing shade and protection from rain, a better playground. Some of the Public Park group's ideas seem to run counter to the Nature Preserve group's desire to keep the park natural. There was one thing that everyone agreed on: improving the trail around the lake to make it more walkable and safe.

Another meeting is planned, after the folks from Hudson Valley Initiative have had a chance to digest the public input and come up with some concepts. The next meeting is expected to happen in November, toward the middle or the end of the month.
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