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State's Parks To Receive $900 Million Cash Infusion
By
Lauren Evans
Published Nov 3, 2015
Modified Nov 3, 2015
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Nov 3, 2015
Modified Nov 3, 2015
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There's more to maintaining the state's sprawling park system than simply not setting it on fire or tearing it down to make way for a mega mall. Parks require upkeep, and upkeep requires serious lootcakes. Happily, the Times reports today that the state plans to pour more than $900 million into capital projects to improve its 215 increasingly raggedy parks and historic sites.
To wit: Niagara Falls will soon enjoy a $50 million cash infusion to build new pedestrian walkways, overlooks, railings, lighting and landscape. Jones Beach will get $65 million for restoration of a historic bathhouse, improved access and increased resiliency against climate change. Letchworth State Park will enjoy an upgraded electrical system with underground lines, a $5.75 million nature center and new bathrooms. Those projects, along with roughly 20 others considered "flagship" parks, will receive the bulk of the cash.
“We’re absolutely committed to restoring the historic, environmental and recreational grandeur that we inherited over 100 years ago,” Rose Harvey, commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, told the paper. “We’re also instilling a relevancy for the 21st-century user in terms of energy efficiency and climate resiliency.”
As of last month, more than two million people camped at New York's 66 state parks, bypassing the previous record set in 2014. Around 62 million in total visited state parks last year.
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new york state
parks
Lauren Evans
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