POUGHKEEPSIE – The Public Works and Capital Projects Committee of the Dutchess County Legislature met virtually Monday evening to approve a $1.2 million bond for the planning of the Lake Walton Preserve and substantial improvements to Quiet Cove Park.
Legislator Will Truitt said that the time is right to start improving the two county parks. “It is so important that we invest in our park system,” as he pointed out that the pandemic has forced many people to undertake outdoor activities to maintain their health and well-being.
Minority Leader Rebecca Edwards questioned the need to authorize spending during the financial crisis caused by COVID-19. She also pointed out that the legislature does not typically prioritize capital projects and that policy needs to change.
Edwards questioned if the two projects could be separated into different bonds.
Chairman Gregg Pulver indicated that it was possible but not without expense. ““Dutchess has a long-standing commitment to expanding parkland and protecting open space throughout the county. I was grateful for my colleagues’ support of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail expansion in Northern Dutchess and I will be proud to support these projects in Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill. It is important that residents in each area of the County have beautiful and well-maintained parks to enjoy,” said Pulver who noted that the Lake Walton portion of the bond will have “zero-impact” on the 2021 county budget.
The $1.2 million bond consists of $225,000 funding for planning, design, and permitting for two access paths from the Dutchess Rail Trail to the Lake Walton Loop Trail and the Loop Trail itself.
County Executive Marcus Molinaro said that the trail will be “universally accessible.”
The remaining $975,000 of the bond is earmarked for work at the Quiet Cove Park just north of the Marist College campus. The money will be used for planning, design, permitting, and construction of what DPW Commissioner Robert Balkind calls “Phase 4″ of improvements at the park. The work will include the construction of a new entrance to the park from Route 9, a trail for pedestrians and cyclists from Route 9 to the riverfront, as well as improvements to the park’s interior roads.
Molinaro said the bond “has no fiscal impact on the 2021 and will allow us to move forward a project that garnered unanimous legislative support. Just as the legislature approved the design of the Poughkeepsie Urban Trail and members called on us to invest in a youth center – this project will break down barriers for so many and open unmatched natural resources to so many of every ability.”
