News of Seventh Street Park

At the Common Council meeting last night, Katherine Kanaga, co-chair of Friends of the Public Square (FOPS), presented an update on the renovation of Seventh Street Park. Kanaga began her presentation by reminding the Council that FOPS has been working on the project for five years. The plan now being pursued, which was unveiled in June 2022, was developed through community workshops and online surveys to learn what changes and improvements the public wanted to see in the park.

Kanaga said they are currently soliciting bids for Phase 1 of the project, which includes the following:

• New pathways
• Repositioning of the war memorial
• Additional lighting
• Some landscaping
• All new site furnishings
• Removal and replacement of selected trees

The bids for the project are due on August 11. Work on Phase 1 is expected to begin in the fall.

Kanaga said the group is currently working on a consolidated funding application (CFA) for $675,000 (the maximum ask) for Phase 2, the fountain phase. That application is due this Friday, July 31. The $250,000 grant secured by Congressman Josh Riley and $125,000 of the grant initiated by State Senator Michelle Hinchey are also designated for the fountain phase of the project.

Although she did not mention it explicitly, Kanaga seemed to be responding to the alternative proposal that appeared on Facebook in recent days when she explained that most of the money that has been raised for the project is in the form of grants. The grants are for very specific purposes, so they cannot be redeployed. Also the grant money is released only after the work has been done. The project does not have the money now; the money is released as reimbursement. 

Kanaga mentioned that Mayor Joseph Ferris was applying for a grant for the sidewalk improvements around the perimeter of the park, which is Phase 3. Later in the meeting, the Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for a Climate Smart Communities Implementation Grant "to make pedestrian and streetscape improvements around Hudson's Public Square."

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