Last month State Sen. Steve Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) announced $500,000 in funding for the City of Poughkeepsie’s southern waterfront. The funds will be used to create a dock which will accommodate vessels large and small.
“The revitalization of the City of Poughkeepsie waterfront is critical to our region’s quality of life and economy,” said Saland in a statement. “The upcoming Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial and the opening of the Walkway Over the Hudson will be an economic boon for the Hudson Valley and for the City of Poughkeepsie, bringing millions of tourist dollars into our area for years to come,” Saland said.
The dock will accommodate sightseeing and dinner cruises, as well as vessels for daily use. A canoe and kayak launch is also planned for the sight, as well as fishing stations. The funding will also allow for utilities to be installed at the dock – including a public pump-out for sewage, as well as water and electric hookups.
“It will be hard to tell where the park starts and the private land begins – which is the point,” said Joe Bonura Jr. of Waterfront Development LLC, the project’s developer.
Together, the Bonuras and the city of Poughkeepsie are redeveloping the southern waterfront.
The city is currently cleaning up the site in preparation of building a new shoreline. Afterward, the city will construct the walkway and Waterfront Development LLC will lease the land from the walkway – building green space, parking and buildings, which will then be leased out to tenants.
“It’s all going to be open to the public,” said Bonura. “It’s really developing beautifully – the plans are magnificent. We are thrilled with the way things are turning out.”
Though the walkway is expected to be completed in time for next year’s Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial celebration, the dock will likely be completed in 2010. Construction on the project will begin next year, and once the dock is complete, the city will own it and Waterfront Development LLC will maintain it, which includes removing the dock from the water each winter, and replacing and re-anchoring it in the spring.
“This half-a-million-dollar grant will make the southern waterfront area of Poughkeepsie the crown jewel of public recreational destinations on the Hudson River,” said City of Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik. “The people of Poughkeepsie will enjoy increased public access to the waterfront, thanks to this grant.”