PTNY celebrates Park and Trail Partnership Grant awardees
The PTNY team has been on the road, cutting big checks and long ribbons across the state. This month, we’ve awarded thousands to Park and Trail Partnership Grant recipients and visited past grant recipients to congratulate Friends groups for successfully completing projects.
During the 9th round of grants, PTNY awarded nearly $2 million to 27 groups. Here are a few of the recipients:
Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
In conjunction with the DEC, Friends of Five Rivers runs programs at the Environmental Education Center in Delmar. The PTNY team held an event to award $27,638 (to be matched by $3,750 in private funds) to the group. The money will be used to purchase programming supplies for students, as well as marketing and promotional efforts to increase volunteerism and boost membership.
Representatives from PTNY, Friends of Five Rivers, and the DEC spoke at the event, in addition to special guest Assemblymember Patricia Fahy. These speakers shared their personal connections to the 450-acre site of fields, forests, and wetlands. They emphasized the importance of educational programming for children and families and the need for increased exposure in the region.
Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Next, we headed downstate to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, where they unveiled the completion of 3.6 miles of upgrades–including paving and improved drainage infrastructure– to the 26-mile pathway. The Park and Trail Partnership Grant program contributed $75,000 to the $2.8 million project in the 6th round of grants back in 2021.
At the event, PTNY also presented the HVRTA with a $125,100 award as part of the Park and Trail Partnership Grant program to improve communications technology, create a fundraising strategy, and enhance branding for the organization that was founded in 1986.
Complete with a large satin ribbon and oversized scissors, the community met at the Taconic State Park to celebrate a job well done by the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The event drew speakers, including Assemblymember Didi Barrett–a strong advocate for funding the popular recreation destination. Speakers reflected on the conception of the rail trail and showed support for plans to complete the remaining 20 miles in the next 5 years.
Saratoga Spa State Park
In the coming weeks and months, the PNTY team will continue celebrating our Park and Trail Partnership Grant recipients, including Saratoga Spa State Park. On Aug 13, the park will be unveiling the restored Coesa mineral spring, which has been closed to visitors. In 2021, the Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park accepted a $75,000 award to restore the spring house.
The funds were used for renovations, in addition to the installation of a new marble pedestal fountain and catch basin adorned with improved surrounding landscaping. The fountain was carved from marble salvaged from a railroad trestle, and a paved patio was installed with two benches overlooking the pond.