ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo has unveiled a seven-point framework of the NY Parks 2020 Plan that he says will leverage approximately $900 million in public and private funding to modernize the State park system.
NY Parks 2020 was previewed in the Governor’s Opportunity Agenda. The plan is part of a multi-year commitment since 2011 to restore facilities, enhance visitor experience, update signage and create better access for tourists at parks across the State. The 2015-16 Executive Budget adds $110 million toward this initiative.
The NY Parks 2020 plan was unveiled by Commissioner Rose Harvey of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation at Saratoga Spa State Park Monday.
This multi-year NY Parks 2020 plan will modernize and bring state parks to 21st century standards by:
- Making comprehensive investments in the State’s most popular flagship parks such as Saratoga Spa, Niagara Falls and Jones Beach to ensure they remain relevant throughout the 21st Century;
- Targeting investments to projects that promote healthy, active outdoor recreation;
- Ensuring people from all walks of life have opportunities to connect with parks;
- Replacing well used but worn out public use facilities and critical infrastructure that have been neglected too long;
- Preserving historic sites and cultural assets;
- Ensuring proper stewardship of some of the State’s most unique ecosystems, including making them more resilient to extreme weather; and
- Leveraging the tourism impact of State Parks to energize local economies.
The plan lays out the framework for how State Parks will achieve these seven strategic priorities, including:
- Build and improve new recreational facilities such as playgrounds, athletic fields and swimming facilities;
- Open underutilized parkland and reconnect children to the outdoors by building new nature centers;
- Modernize and refurbish campgrounds and cabins, bathhouses, contact stations and picnic pavilions;
- Preserve and improve historic buildings by repairing roofs and windows and restoring historic stonework;
- Undertake projects that prevent the invasive species, improve storm resiliency and implement energy efficiency initiatives that make state parks a model of sustainability; and
- Develop partnerships that enhance visitor services such as restaurants and cultural facilities and host more recreational and cultural events that promote New York’s tourism assets.
With over 62 million visitors in 2014, State Park attendance is at historic levels and continuing to grow, having increased 8 percent since the Governor took office.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by more than 62 million people annually. For more information on these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com.
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