Press Release
June 30, 2022
Dan Keefe
(518) 486-1868 | news@parks.ny.gov
New York State Parks Announces $3.2 Million Investment to Create Welcome Center and Environmental Education Complex at Clarkson University’s Beacon Institute in Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve
Visitors' Welcome Center and Beatrice G. Donofrio Environmental
Education Complex Next Steps in Restoration of Denning's Point
The New York State Office of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation today announced a $3.2 million
investment in Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve to convert an abandoned
paperclip factory into the formal Visitors' Welcome Center and the Beatrice G. Donofrio Environmental Education Complex. The
project, part of a public-private partnership with Clarkson University
and its Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries, aims
to showcase the rich history of the park's Denning's Point in Beacon
as well as the ecological diversity of the Hudson River Estuary.
The work will complete the
transformation of the first floor of a former industrial plant to its
re-purposed use for research and education. Earlier stages of work to
the structural and exterior building shell were completed in 2021. This
next stage of work will finish the interior to create a welcome center with
classroom, collaborative, and supporting spaces -- featuring accessible
restrooms, and an elevator to access an open floor plan on the second
level. Exterior work will provide utility connections, parking and
pathways all enhanced by site furnishings and selective landscaping.
Erik Kulleseid,
Commissioner of NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, said "The Center will expand our
knowledge of the Hudson River Estuary in a changing climate, while serving as
a gateway for the community to explore and enjoy the Denning's Point Park. I
am tremendously grateful to Governor Hochul, Clarkson and all of our partners
for helping bring an innovative educational facility to the community."
Spending the last day of his
19-year Clarkson University presidency at the event on June 30, Anthony G. Collins, President of
Clarkson University, said "With the Governor, State agencies,
elected representatives and community leaders, we have developed a model
public-private partnership at Denning's Point that couples world-relevant
healthy water research, innovation, education and recreation for public good.
We are pleased to be able to recognize Nick Donofrio and his family for their
support of the project honoring their mother with the Beatrice G. Donofrio
Environmental Education Complex, as an extension of the Visitor's Welcome
Center to the Park, in the Beacon community she called home."
Marc P. Christensen,
President-Elect of Clarkson University, said, "Governor Hochul is nationally
recognized for her bold leadership to address environmental issues and
climate change with sustainable solutions. With parks and trail systems in
New York State setting new records in community usage, this public-private
collaboration at Denning's Point provides direct access for all learners --
regardless of age, resources or financial capacity -- to engage in citizen
science alongside scientific experts and advocate for the natural environment
in new and meaningful ways that matter to our future."
Senator
Sue Serino said, "This is an exciting day for our community as we announce
an innovative investment to advance a truly unique public-private
partnership. The new Visitors' Welcome Center and the Beatrice G.
Donofrio Environmental Education Complex will help advance research to
preserve this great natural resource for generations to come and
simultaneously boost education and recreational opportunities for visitors
and residents alike. We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for
this great space, and I thank Clarkson University, and all the stakeholders
who are working tirelessly to make this impressive vision a reality."
Assemblymember
Jonathan Jacobson said, "Clarkson University's project at Denning's Point State
Park in Beacon is an unbelievable win for Beacon and the entire Hudson
Valley. Clarkson has long been a supporter of the Hudson Valley and an
advocate our environment. Its educational programs benefit students from both
Beacon and Newburgh giving them a new insight into the world around them. I
applaud the investment of Clarkson University and the New York State Parks,
Recreation and Historic Renovation. The $3.2 million investment into the
abandoned paperclip factory will create jobs and a new generation of scholars
with an appreciation for our environment. I congratulate outgoing Clarkson
University President Tony Collins for his years of service to Clarkson and
the Hudson Valley, his vision for Denning's Point and his commitment to make
his vision a reality, and we look forward to working with President-Elect
Marc Christensen."
The project continues a
multi-phased restoration investment that began in 2003 at Denning's Point,
the site of the abandoned, former Denning's Point Brickworks The first step towards remediating the site and creating
an educational campus on Denning's Point was the renovation of the former
Denning's Point Brickworks into a 4,000-square-foot multipurpose LEED Gold
educational facility known today as the Water Ecology Center.
Clarkson fully acquired the
Beacon Institute in 2011 and further established a full-time base of
educational, research and community outreach operations in the Hudson Valley.
Subsequent bridge work leading to the Park, infrastructure improvements,
remediation of hazardous waste and site preparations were completed in 2021
using public and private funds, which provided the necessary groundwork for
the critical expansion of education and research facilities for Clarkson and
its partners to serve the City of Beacon, the Hudson Valley and NYS.
Headquartered at Denning's
Point, Clarkson's Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries and faculty
from its Institute for STEM Education ignite community science, user-inspired
R&D and education through collaboration and creative innovation,
inspiring sustainable solutions for estuary and freshwater ecosystems
throughout the Hudson Valley and across New York State. This construction and
renovation will further support research focused on healthy water solutions
and expand the base for STEM educational services at all levels, including
K-12, public and family and professional graduate programs.
The project
builds on Governor Hochul's efforts to expand and enhance outdoor recreation
across New York State. The newly enacted Fiscal Year 2023 budget increased
capital funding for State Parks by $140 million, for a total of $250 million.
This substantial level of funding will aid the ongoing transformation of New
York's flagship parks and support critical infrastructure projects throughout
the park system.
A mostly undeveloped preserve
of over 8,000 acres with over 70 miles of trail, Hudson Highlands State Park
Preserve consists of a series of separate parcels of land stretching from
Annsville Creek in Peekskill, north to Denning's Point in Beacon. The Park
Preserve protects a mosaic of special habitats from the estuarine shore of
the Hudson River, through young deciduous forest, to the rocky ridges and
summits towering above the surrounding area, providing a haven for many
plants and animals The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites,
recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which are visited
by more than 78 million people annually.
For more
information on any of these recreation areas, visit www.parks.ny.gov,
download the free NY State Parks Explorer mobile app or call 518.474.0456. Also, connect
on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.