It was announced today that Hudson has received a Hudson River Estuary Grant for the redevelopment of the area in North Bay once known as the Furgary Boat Club. The following is the press release issued by City Hall.
The City of Hudson has been awarded a $123,000 Hudson River Estuary Grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to advance planning and engineering for the redevelopment of the historic Furgary Fishing Village site along the city’s waterfront.
The grant will fund final design and regulatory review work needed to transform the Furgary site into a resilient, accessible public space. Once complete, the project will expand public access to the Hudson River, highlight the unique cultural history of the Furgary shacks, and create new opportunities for recreation, education, and community gathering. . . .
The project builds on years of planning, including Hudson’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative and the Furgary Vision Plan, which envisioned adaptive reuse of the riverfront shacks and improved shoreline access. . . .
Funding comes from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), which has provided more than $30 million through the Estuary Grants Program since 1999 to improve public access, habitat restoration, and climate resiliency throughout the Hudson River Valley. . . .
With engineering and permitting work underway, Hudson will be positioned to seek additional funding for construction, landscaping, interpretive signage, and amenities that will make Furgary a centerpiece of the city’s revitalized waterfront.
I don't see Hudson City Hall being able to pull this off, no matter how much additional grant money they receive (and they will need a whole lot more to get started with the construction). Where will people park? Will the remaining shacks look respectable and not covered in graffiti and weeds as they are now? Will DPW adequately maintain the area?
ReplyDeleteFinish the 7th Street Park first, or at least get it started.
I don't understand building a simulacrum.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Biil. How much $ in grants has Hudson received but hasn't been spent? Fix up the parkland we already have _ including the pocket parks on Warren. These are the parks most viewerd by visitors and will enhance the overall image of the town.
ReplyDeleteAgree completely on Warren’s pocket parks - it’s a bit shocking that such easy fixes have gone astray!
DeleteYes, I couldn't agree more about the abysmal condition of the pocket parks that has been an obvious problem for far too long. Their neglected, dangerous, and disrespectful state can only be attributed to Rob Perry, Kamal Johnson and any common council members who have failed to bring the issue to Rob Perry's attention to find out when and if he ever plans on repaving and improving those 3 parks. Since I've never heard a peep out of any members regarding this issue in the past ten years, much of the blame is on every member of the council we have had in at least the past ten years. No former members cared, and none of the current members care about those parks. We don't pay them $5,000 a year and give them excellent health coverage to be silent and twiddle their thumbs at meetings, do we? Apparently, yes we do.
DeleteGrants are great if you can get them, so I don't see what there is to complain about, as I'm pretty sure a river - estuary grant isn't going to be applicable to the 7th street, or pocket parks.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern would be the spending of all that money on planners and engineers. The money could easily be used on topsoil, grass seeds, fixing up the remaining shacks, the boat launch, buying some picnic tables and grills. But I suppose that's too old school, these days you have to officially document the costs with a certified plan, then apply for another grant to implement it. Takes longer, costs more, but at the end of the day I'm sure it will look great.