Recreationists in Clifton Park have another option when seeking a day of fun or even just a pleasant view now that the town’s Mohawk Landing park is officially open to the public.
Local officials gathered at the park on Tuesday, June 15, to cut the ribbon.
Our open space preservation program continues to grow, said Councilman Scott Hughes, who is the Town Board’s liaison to the Open Space Committee.
Visitors can pull into a modest parking area off Riverview Road, just east of Riverview Orchards. From there, a short trek through the woods over a wide, maintained path leads to a clearing with several picnic tables, a view of the Mohawk River and a graded path down to the water.
The park is not designed to launch full-size boats, but instead smaller, unpowered craft such as kayaks or canoes. It’s the town’s first public access point to the Mohawk River.
`What we tried to do is make this a natural park for passive recreation, but it also offers active recreation,` said Supervisor Philip Barrett.
The town purchased the 6-acre property from Joel and Isabel Prescott, owners of neighboring Riverview Orchards, for $202,000 in 2006. Of that, $100,000 was supplied through funds from the county’s open space protection program, and the remainder of the money came out of the town’s surplus.
Much of the cost of developing the park was covered through a $180,000 New York State Canal Corp’s Erie Canal Greenway Grant Program grant. The remaining $107,970 in construction and engineering costs came out of the town’s surplus.
Barrett praised the use of grant money in providing the facility to residents while keeping expense to the town low.
`We’ve been very careful when we put public funds toward these projects, and we get a great deal of public input,` he said.
The Canal Corp is doling out $10 million to communities along the river for the development of infrastructure and recreational opportunities like Mohawk Landing. According to Carmella Mantello, director of the state Canal Corporation, 54 projects are under way and will benefit their host communities.
`So many times people forget that environmental preservation and recreation equates to economic development and tourism,` she said.
The town has been developing open space preservation plans for 10 years, and officials say there are now 850 acres of protected open space in the town. Clifton Park is also in the process of drafting a recreation master plan and is seeking comment from residents. The second public workshop in this process will be held Thursday, June 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Shenendehowa Adult Community Center at Clifton Common. A recreation needs survey is also being conducted through the town’s Web site at www.cliftonpark.org.
Isabel Prescott, for one, said she was pleased to see access to the river provided by what was formerly her land.
`I think it’s a wonderful piece of land that can be used not only for the community now, but for people in the future,` she said.“