Cuomo: “one of our growing industries”
KERHONKSON – Minnewaska State Park is
going to be turned into a “gateway” park through Governor
Cuomo’s Parks 2020 plan. He made the announcement at the park on
Friday.
The state, along with the Alliance for New York State Parks and the Open
Space Institute will invest $7.3 million for new amenities including a
visitors’ center and warming hut, turning the park into a more modern,
year round, destination.
Minnewaska is the oldest and second largest state park in New York consisting
of approximately 23,000 acres and contributing $12.3 million in annual
economic impact.
The governor said the state is hoping to make Minnewaska an example for
other state parks, as a means for attracting the large tourist populations
that visit other areas of the state.
“We get 50 million tourists per year to New York City and that’s
actually a great opportunity for us,” said Cuomo. “What we
want to say is, ‘Great, come to New York City; it’s beautiful,
one of the greatest cities on the planet, I think the greatest city on
the planet but, there’s actually more to see when you’re in
New York and head north and come see the Catskills and come see the capital
district region and come see the Finger Lakes,’ we have so much
more than just great cities.”
Turning Minnewaska into the symbol of what state parks are and where they
are heading is just part of the plan. Through the I Love New York campaign,
international advertising will be used to promote the state’s tourism
in what the governor said is “serious business.”
Cuomo called tourism “one of our growing
industries.”
Kim Elliman, president of the Open Space Institute, who were responsible
for $3 million of the $7.3 million of funding for the Minnewaska gateway
initiative and will also oversee the construction for the new amenities
said 2020 Initiative “is the visionary capital investment for a
vibrant, welcoming and updated park system that will delight hundreds
of millions of people who will visit the parks in the coming decades.
We really are building a New York Parks system for the 21rst Century.”
The next part of this joint endeavor will be the Excelsior Conservation
Corps that is due to be launched in January. The corps will be volunteer-based
and contribute to the building of the new amenities. It will be one of
many future actions to promote statewide tourism and make state parks
appealing to a new generation of visitors.
