More than two years after the City of Poughkeepsie Common Council approved the findings of an environmental review of the 13-acre DeLaval property on the city’s southern waterfront, the council this week hosted an information session on work that will soon begin on the property, which is expected to transform the blighted land into a recreational and business center along the water.
The DeLaval site work is needed for the second phase of development from the Bonura family, who opened a restaurant, Shadows on the Hudson, and catering facility, the Grandview, adjacent to the property in 2006. Judging by public reaction, both ventures have largely been successes, fueling hope that further waterfront development will be equally welcomed. Public participation at the council forum this week was mainly limited to encouragement for the project, although some questioned the site work’s impact on the surrounding neighborhood. Despite some concerns over noise, dust and smells coming from the site during the process, officials stressed that they will work to minimize the impacts. That’s good news for area residents, obviously, but also for denizens of the greater city, as it reinforces the existing administration’s promises to move ahead with further revitalization efforts in the city. Coupled with an update on the Luckey Platt project at a council meeting earlier this month, there is real hope that many of the long-awaited benchmarks of progress for the City of Poughkeepsie can be met, and soon.
That’s not to say that there won’t be bumps in the road, however. Although Fire Chief Ken Boyd said that construction at Luckey Platt might be completed as early as this summer, that seems a bit optimistic, considering the lack of work at the site over the last year. And even if the DeLaval site cleanup is completed by the end of this year, as construction officials said could be the case this Monday, it still might take several years to see the benefits of a reopened waterfront realized. But it’s hard not to be optimistic with some of the events taking place, particularly as spring arrives and the quadricentennial celebration planned throughout the valley next year begins to take shape. With the Empire State Games slated for the Hudson Valley in 2009, as well as the opening of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge under the direction of Walkway Over the Hudson, Poughkeepsie could be in for a major boost in attention – and an influx of tourists and their dollars.
Which makes these signs of progress all the more important, and as spring blooms and the year hits its quarter-pole, it’s a time to reflect on what’s been done, certainly, but also a time to look ahead to the city’s future. There’s work left to do, but progress is already under way.