BETHLEHEM — The Town Board voted unanimously on Wednesday, March 25 to approve the purchase of two adjacent land parcels totaling 21 acres to expand Henry Hudson Park.
The vote took place during a virtual Zoom meeting and Town Supervisor David VanLuven said the expansion looks to protect 3,000 feet of the Vloman Kill shoreline. According to town documents, the land purchases will also “protect the site from development and conserve the natural resources found in the area. … No development is planned … thus, the purchase[s] will not result in any adverse environmental impact.” The acquired lands would be used for passive recreation too.
One of the two parcels took up 11 acres along Lyons Road and was owned by resident Howard Vagele; the other was 10 acres out of a 17-acre parcel owned by resident Steven Downs along Dinmore Road.
The town’s open space coordinator, Karen Shaw as well as Vagele, Downs, Scenic Hudson and the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy were instrumental in the two-year land purchase process, VanLuven said.
“It’s very strange to have such an important vote to take place in this way but I do want to thank everyone for their hard work on this two-year effort,” VanLuven added. “These lands will benefit Bethlehem and the Capital Region for generations and I look forward to bringing everyone together for a proper ribbon-cutting when the [pandemic] has passed and we can safely stand closer than six feet apart again.”
This is a developing story that Spotlight News will follow up on in the near future.
