POUGHKEEPSIE —The effort to transform the abandoned Poughkeepsie Highland Railroad Bridge into the world’s longest elevated pedestrian park became concrete today with the announcement that the State of New York had approved $8 million in funding for the Walkway Over the Hudson project as part of its 2008-09 budgets.
“Our dream will become a reality,” said Fred Schaeffer, Chairman of the Walkway Over the Hudson Board of Directors. “We have worked for many years to restore this grand historic treasure to a new and useful purpose. And now, thanks to this major allocation from New York State and the support of Governor David A. Paterson, we can finally say with certainty it will happen. We will still need to raise funds, but this means we can begin the construction phase with confidence.”
Under the terms of state budget legislation passed on April 4th, the $8 million is included in a $95 million capital project allocation for the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation—the state agency that will eventually become responsible for operations and management of the new Walkway Over the Hudson Park once it is completed.
“Preserving and converting this historic railroad bridge into a unique public space is an exciting opportunity to enable New Yorkers to participate in healthy recreation and enjoy the outdoors high above the Hudson River – one of the state’s great natural assets,” said Carol Ash, commissioner of State Parks. “The Walkway Over the Hudson will be a key link connecting trails, waterfronts, colleges and communities – adding immensely to the vitality of the Mid-Hudson region.”
Walkway Executive Director Amy Husten expressed gratitude to the State of New York for its vision and its significant investment in the project, which promises to provide the Mid-Hudson Valley with an exciting new tourist attraction. She pointed out that the state’s recent fiscal support represents a culmination of the gathering momentum for the Walkway project that began in 2006 with the provision of a key federal grant for $874,000 by Congressman Maurice Hinchey.
After Walkway was awarded the federal grant and a state Environmental Protection Fund grant from New York State Parks in 2006, the Dyson Foundation of Millbrook announced in August, 2007 that it would pay for planning and engineering studies (amounting to $2 million) essential to advancing the project to the next stage of development. “Thanks to the early support of Congressman Hinchey, our state legislative representatives—Senators Steve Saland and Vincent Leibell, and Assemblymen Joel Miller, Marc Molinaro, Tom Kirwan, and Kevin Cahill—and, of course, the Dyson Foundation, we’ve reached this critical milestone in achieving our dream,” Ms. Husten said. “Now we will begin planning for the demolition and construction phases which will begin shortly.”
Governor Paterson’s Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Judith Enck, stated that the Governor is supportive of the Walkway Over the Hudson project, believing it to be a central feature in New York State ’s economic development and parks expansion initiatives for the Mid-Hudson Valley region. “We are confident the Walkway will blossom into a magnificent public park that will attract people to this region for many decades to come,” said Ms. Enck
With the $8 million provided by the state, Walkway Over the Hudson has secured $12 million from various sources toward its $30 million fundraising goal. The Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit will request that New York State allocate another $8 million toward the effort in next year’s budget.
“In addition to implementing this ambitious construction project, we are also commencing a major fundraising initiative, seeking investments from individuals, corporations, government agencies and foundations to help us complete the Walkway in time for the Quadricentennial Celebration,” added Ms. Husten. “We are confident in our ability to meet our fundraising goals because of the enormous excitement the Walkway project has generated throughout the Mid-Hudson community and beyond.”
