New York has awarded more than $13 million in state funding to the Verona Beach and Green Lakes state parks for improvement projects at each location.

The funding is part of the NY Parks 2020 initiative, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release issued June 25.

 

“New York has some of the nation’s best locations for outdoor recreation, and through the NY Parks 2020 program we are transforming them to be better than ever,” Cuomo said in the news release. “I am proud to see the progress at Verona Beach and Green Lakes moving forward, and I encourage New Yorkers to check out a state park near them this summer.”

 

NY Parks 2020 is a multi-year effort leveraging a “broad range of private and public funding” to invest about $900 million in state parks between 2011 and 2020, according to Cuomo’s news release. 

 

The 2015-16 state budget includes $110 million for this initiative, his office added.

 

Cuomo first announced NY Parks 2020 in early March.

 

Verona Beach

Verona Beach State Park in Oneida County will use $4.2 million to pay for the completion of a new bathhouse and pavilions “in time for the summer swim season,” Cuomo’s office said.

 

Located on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake, Verona Beach on June 25 celebrated the grand opening of its “complete beach facility makeover,” Cuomo’s office said. 

 

The project includes a new bathhouse, a concession stand, public restrooms, and a first-aid station with lifeguard office and locker rooms. 

 

The project also expanded the beach area and provided flood protection by locating the building further from the beach and at a higher elevation. 

 

Crews also completed a new enclosed pavilion, community room, and three small picnic shelters near the park’s beach and campground.

 

They also upgraded the parking lots and drainage areas to steer stormwater run-off into landscaped bioswales that “filter silt and pollutants rather than running directly into the lake, improving water quality,” Cuomo’s office said.

 

Green Lakes

Green Lakes State Park in the town of Manlius will use its nearly $9 million in funding for ongoing campground upgrades and a renovation of the golf clubhouse.

 

The golf clubhouse is undergoing $3.1 million in work to replace the multi-tiered patio with an outdoor dining area. 

 

An addition to the pro shop will include new public restrooms, which “were not previously available in close proximity to the shop.” 

 

The project is also addressing structural issues, including improvements to drainage, surface-water collection, and utility connections, according to Cuomo’s news release.

 

The second phase, which begins this fall, calls for the design and renovation of the clubhouse’s interior. 

 

It’ll include the relocation of the kitchen and bar areas with increased seating. 

 

The clubhouse overlooks the fairways of one of the first golf courses that famed golf-course architect Robert Trent Jones designed, as well as the park’s glacier lakes.

 

Besides the clubhouse, Green Lakes’ Pine Woods Campground is currently undergoing a $2.95 million project to install improved campsites.

 

They will include electric, water, and sewer connections “for the first time in the Central New York region.” 

 

In addition, the project will include a new restroom and shower building; an improved road; and will replace and relocate the trailer-dumping station to “better suit the heavy traffic at check-out times.” 

 

The project includes site work to divert sewage-treatment areas away from the lake and to correct drainage problems and reduce runoff and erosion. 

 

The second phase of the campground project, which begins this fall, will involve construction of a second restroom building to serve campsites and the park’s newly renovated cabins, and will install electricity for the remaining sites. 

 

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund contributed $1.1 million in funds toward the campground project, Cuomo’s office said.

 

Concurrently, a $2.9 million effort to upgrade utilities and park entry is underway. 

 

The upgraded utilities, including water, sewer, electric, communications and roadways, will serve the park’s northern area, which includes the park and Pine 

Woods Campground area. 

 

The project will address traffic issues at the park entrance and parking area with an added automated entry lane providing visitors with “more convenient” payment options. The work will also include replacing the ticket booth with a “modern” workspace for the attendant and security.        

 

 

The Central New York Community Foundation recently announced that it was awarded 25 grants totaling $590,000 to area programs in the fields of arts and culture, education, environment and animals, and human services. The grants include the following, according to a Community Foundation news release:

 

AccessCNY received $30,000 to conduct renovations at Provisions Restaurant and Bakery in Syracuse’s Armory Square. Provisions employs individuals with a diagnosed mental-health challenge to develop employment-related skills, establish a successful work history, and foster beneficial workplace behavior and social skills, the release stated.

 

Baltimore Woods Nature Center in Marcellus was allocated $10,529 to expand its back deck, which is used for on-site public programs, camps, events, and rentals.

Catholic Charities of Onondaga County was provided $40,000 to replace the roof at the Vincent House Youth Center. The Center houses pre-K classes; Headstart, afterschool, and summer programs; and Skills4Success, which helps children address behavioral and emotional challenges, according to the foundation.

 

Cazenovia Children’s House received $12,500 to renovate a classroom in the child-care service center. 

 

Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired was allocated $15,000 to purchase equipment for the expansion of its sight-impaired employment program. 

CNY Arts was provided $15,000 to upgrade the technology system it uses to promote, support, and celebrate the region’s arts and culture community, the release stated.

 

Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse received $20,000 to conduct a competition to collect and display creative designs for connecting the Erie Canalway Trail from DeWitt to Syracuse.

 

Everson Museum in downtown Syracuse received $50,000 to install a new software system that would improve its retail sales and customer-relationship management efforts. 

 

Home HeadQuarters was allocated $7,000 to install playground equipment at Washington Square Park in Syracuse.

 

The “In This Together” initiative in Syracuse was awarded a $15,500 grant to enable its partner organizations to host workshops with Syracuse inner-city helping professionals. In This Together is a program by Syracuse University’s Marriage and Family Therapy Center at Falk College and the Syracuse Trauma Response Team to address gang and gun violence in Syracuse, the news release stated.

 

Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse received $25,000 to install an energy-efficient climate-control system that will ensure the longevity of its valuable collections and archives from local history.

 

Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse was allocated $100,000 to install theatrical lighting in two theater spaces in its new Redhouse@City Center facility, set to rejuvenate a city block on South Salina Street and offer multiple performance and movie theaters and education spaces, according to the Community Foundation.

Skaneateles Recreational Charitable Trust received $30,000 toward the expansion of the Skaneateles Community Center, which is home to fitness classes, senior programming, and youth sports leagues.

 

Syracuse Industrial Development Agency received $7,000 to install Cross-Arc, a large-scale public art sculpture at Lipe Art Park that will simultaneously serve as an exercise and fitness hub.

 

YMCA of Greater Syracuse received $100,000 to complete construction and install accessibility elements at its new Northwest Family YMCA facility in the town of Lysander. 

 

Established in 1927, the Central New York Community Foundation says it is the largest charitable foundation in the region with assets of nearly $190 million. It awarded $9.9 million in grants last year to nonprofit organizations, and since its inception has invested more than $135 million in the community.