(Credit: LAGroup via Schuylerville, 2022)
(Credit: LA Group via Schuylerville, 2022)
The audience quietly watched the presentation about the redevelopment of Schuylerville’s Fort Hardy Park until about Phase 4 of the project when one question started to run through people's minds: just how much is this thing going to cost?
The presenters from the LA Group architecture firm of Saratoga Springs had been listing amenities that, over eight phases, included a splash park, picnic areas, dog runs, five sports fields, an expanded shoreline along the Hudson River, launch ramps, kayak docks, a 3,000-square-foot community center, an amphitheater, new sidewalks and trails, historical interpretive signage, restrooms, an ice rink, community gardens and more.
The plan outlined was “option three,” the most expensive plan, the plan that would change the park the most, “the robust version” of redevelopment, said Michael Panich of the LA Group.
It was also the plan that the task force of local citizens in charge of creating it wanted to push forward to the community.
He and his colleague Tracey Clothier assured the 40-plus people assembled at the American Legion Hall of Schuylerville that savings could be found if they cut some amenities, if they brought in volunteers to do some work, and if they looked for grants to help. Then Panich ran through the final four phases.
Later, he said if everything ran perfectly and professional contractors did the work, the park would cost about $20 million and take 16 to 20 years to complete.
“This is fantasy, right?” Clothier asked the crowd. “It’s fun to think about, but it’s expensive.”
She then explained that a number of state and federal grants would be available to help with money, though some required a match from the community and some funded only small projects like basic signage.
The community would need a “Friends of Fort Hardy Park” group to see the plan to fruition. The audience had questions and concerns, but largely they did not balk.
“This plan relies heavily on community support,” Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter said after the meeting. He had been overwhelmed and worried about the cost, himself. In the past, however, the community has come together “and surprised me.”
With a plan completed, the "Friends" group could extend the community beyond the village itself to the surrounding towns of Saratoga, Greenwich, Stillwater and others, Carpenter told the crowd, adding, many people who currently use the park come from all those areas.
Many in the crowd had ties to the park, but they came from nearby Victory, from Greenwich, from Mechanicville and elsewhere to see the plans.
Dan McQuay, from the Town of Saratoga, wondered about the cost of maintenance as they built the new amenities.
“Fort Hardy was a nice little park at one time,” McQuay said, but it had lost its support and funding for maintenance.
Kate Morse of Greenwich, the executive director of Hudson Crossing Park just upriver from Fort Hardy, said the vision and timeline of the two parks were not too different.
“When I look at this plan, I think back to the founders of the [Hudson Crossing] park,” Morse said. She added that they too were overwhelmed with the improvements, but a group stayed focused.
“This is completely feasible,” she said of Fort Hardy. “Yes, it takes time…Hudson Crossing started 20 years ago.”
Clothier said much the same. Between grants, donations and volunteers, the costs will come down and the work will get done.
With the New York Canal Visitor’s Center opening soon next door to Fort Hardy Park, Schuylerville will become a regional draw.
“You’ve got to think big,” Clothier said. “This is a special place, and it requires special thinking.”
Officially, the Fort Hardy Park Master Plan will be presented for a vote before the Schuylerville Village Board in the spring, the mayor said. After the plan is approved, they will create a “Friends of Fort Hardy Park” group to implement the plan, find funding, build a cadre of volunteers and work with architects and designers.
The village has already secured money to install the planned splash park later this year. The park is located on an island between the Hudson River and the old Champlain Canal near downtown Schuylerville.
Correction: When posted, we said the splash park was being funded. It has been funded.