By GREGORY ZELLER //
After years of work and several milestones along the way, Albany has completed an expensive restoration of Hempstead Lake State Park.
The final steps of the 737-acre park’s upgrade included the installation of two miles of new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant stone-dust and bridle trails, the construction of a new observation deck overlooking the park’s Northeast Pond and the completion of landscaping improvements to both of the park’s northern ponds, designed to mitigate flood risk and reduce pollution.
Along with other upgrades – including the 2021 opening of an 8,000-square-foot Environmental Education and Resiliency Center and the critical rehabilitation of the 150-year-old Hempstead Lake Dam – the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has now invested more than $47 million in upgrades that “will help transform the park’s offerings to the public while also making it more climate-change resilient,” according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
Erik Kulleseid: Improving your walk in the park.
In announcing the completion of the Hempstead Lake State Park project, the governor trumpeted a well-funded effort that “underscores New York’s commitment to climate resilience and demonstrates our focus to protect communities most vulnerable to the increase of extreme weather events.”
“This multi-year project expands recreational opportunities, protects our environment and supports climate resiliency, making the surrounding community safer,” Hochul said Tuesday. “I’m proud to celebrate its completion.”
The final phase also included nearly $17 million in major landscaping improvements along the Mill River, aimed at mitigating flood risks and reducing pollution entering Hewlett Bay. By themselves, those improvements marked “one of the largest wetland projects ever completed by New York State Parks,” according to the governor’s office.
In addition to upgrades of the circa-1873 Hempstead Lake Dam, the parkwide project also included restoration of the Northwest Pond dam – though technically, that dam has been “restored” to all-new proportions and given a refreshed mission.
Since the dam was breached by 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, an “an enhanced and diverse habitat” has evolved – and the new Northwest Pond dam is intended to hold waters at their new, post-superstorm levels, the governor’s office said Tuesday.
Very observant: The neck observation deck overlooking the Northeast Pond.
With the new Northeast Pond observation deck and a new Eagle Avenue parking lot serving as a trailhead entrance, the $47 million overhaul – funded by a $35 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $12 million in State Parks stipends – “will help make the Hempstead Lake State Park and surrounding communities safer and more resilient to future storms, while improving access to outdoor recreation in the community,” according to New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid.
“These fortification efforts will help ensure the structural integrity of [Hempstead Lake] Dam and continues our exceptional work to improve [the park] and make it more welcoming to visitors,” Kulleseid added.
