NY Awards $417,276 Grant To Nyack For Waterfront Pathway

NYACK, NY — The village of Nyack has been awarded $417,276 from New York State through its Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for a pathway project that dovetails with the ongoing work to revitalize Memorial Park.

The state program provides grants to communities to develop a vision for their waterfront, guided by several environmental policies to ensure projects work in harmony with natural resources and ecosystems. There are currently 93 approved LWRP plans in the state representing 113 municipalities. The fund recently awarded $16.4 million for local projects, and Nyack received its grant for the Memorial Park Shoreline Pathway Project.

The money will go to design and construct the Memorial Park section of its waterfront pathway along the Hudson River, from the Park’s gazebo north to the Inlet Bridge, connecting Memorial Park to the Village Marina. It will use materials and new landscaping to stabilize the shoreline, making it more resilient to storm surge and climate change impacts. It will also be ADA-compliant.

The new walkway will complement the projects soon to be undertaken with the federal American Rescue Plan funds allocated to Nyack by Rockland County.

"We continue to seek support for Memorial Park responding to our planning documents and to support improvements recommended by our Park Commission and the Nyack Parks Conservancy," Mayor Don Hammond told Patch. "We are really excited about these improvements to our park. The partnership with the County through the ARPA funds and with the State will bring amazing and important improvements."

One of the things Rockland County did with its federal ARPA funds was to establish the Rockland Resilient Recreation Grant Program to reduce health inequities in the county by developing and enhancing public urban green spaces. Through it, the county gave Nyack $795,000 for Memorial Park improvements.

Those projects are:

• Great Lawn - $200,000. This project will restore the "Great Lawn" of Memorial Park including repairs to the ballfield and the “goat path” from Piermont Avenue down to the lawn.
• ADA Access Road/Pathway & Entry Gate - $200,000. A new entry gate at Depew Avenue provides pedestrian access and was installed in June. A new access road from the parking lot to the playground/bathrooms will be ADA compliant and include an ADA pathway to the Splash Pad.
• Playground Resurfacing, Water Fountain & replacement swings/equipment - $200,000. The majority of this funding is for the playground resurfacing, and includes upgrades to the "big climber" installed in September.
• Playground Equipment - $195,000. This project includes a new tot-lot playground, new swing set, picnic tables and benches, and repair of asphalt pathway inside the playground.

The village has received bids and will begin approving contracts for the ARPA-funded work at the Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 14.

As for the shoreline pathway, Village Administrator Andrew Stewart told Patch the village hopes to get the design work done and bid process complete in 2024 for construction in 2025.

Projects like this one funded through the LWRP's Environmental Protection Fund help local communities expand public access to their waterfronts and protect the environment, while also boosting tourism and economic development opportunities. The awards cover a variety of planning, design and construction projects that focus on accessible economic, community, environmental and recreational improvements.