VERONA, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently cut the ribbon on a new accessible boat launch on the Barge Canal on Cove Road in the town of Verona. 

The new launch enhances fishing and boating opportunities for all visitors, including those with disabilities, and connects to Oneida Lake to provide additional access to fishing.

The DEC is working to expand recreational opportunities for people of all abilities. The Cove Road site was designed and constructed with several Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant features. The site now includes a two-lane concrete launch ramp with floating docks, a canoe/kayak launch, fishing pier, parking for 24 cars and 49 vehicles with trailers including accessible parking, and portable bathroom facilities.

“DEC is working hard to expand safe and accessible outdoor recreation opportunities through strategic investments across the state,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a press release. “The new Barge Canal Cove Road boat launch provides a much-anticipated opportunity for angles, boaters, and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy boating and fishing on Oneida Lake and its tributaries.”

The launch expands access to Oneida Lake, which is the state’s most heavily fished inland body of water. It’s the largest lake lying wholly within the state with a surface area of 50,894 acres and supports numerous fish species.

The DEC is funding the project with $1.6 million from the Environmental Protection Fund and NY Works. Under the state’s Adventure NY initiative, the DEC is making strategic investments to expand access to healthy, active outdoor recreation and connect more New Yorkers and visitors to nature.

“This is a momentous occasion as the completion of this launch is a tremendous achievement and a valuable addition to the recreational opportunities on Oneida Lake,” Oneida Lake Association President Gina M. Duggleby said. “We are grateful for the fruitful collaboration, which has resulted in a facility that will benefit our residents, visitors, and the lake’s ecosystem for years to come.”

The project follows the recent illumination of the nearby Verona Beach Lighthouse through the Reimagine the Canals iconic lighting program.

“The Cove Road Boat Launch has been a long time coming, and we are excited to see a safe water boat launch site at the east end of Oneida Lake,” Federal Sportsman Club of Oneida County Secretary Scott Faulkner said.       

DICKINSON, N.Y. — From a new name to new turf, Broome County’s softball complex on Front Street is getting a $4 million overhaul, expected to wrap up this summer.

Crews are performing several upgrades to the four-field facility, according to Brenda Growe, the county’s director of parks, recreation, and youth services. “We are converting it to turf,” she says, along with adding lights.

Those two changes alone are huge in terms of when and how long the fields can be used, she notes. The Doubleplay Series by FieldTurf surface not only extends the playing season from March through November, adding almost a month at each end, but also allows players to play longer each day, Growe says. The turf also provides a much quicker return-to-play time after inclement weather.

All of that means that once the project is complete, the complex will boast four tournament-worthy fields, she says, and Broome County will be actively bidding to host future tournaments.

The complex already hosts the Section IV championships, and the county plans to bid on the state championships, currently held on Long Island.

“The intent is that this is going to be an economic generator as well,” Growe says. As a softball mom, Growe travels along with her daughter for tournaments and sees the thriving communities that surround the sports facilities.

Until December 2022, the county-owned facility was leased out to another operator, whom Growe declined to name. After realizing the opportunities a sports facility can offer, the county took over operations this year and funded the renovation project.

Work will also include sprucing up the existing concession building a bit and renovating the dugouts, she says. Currently, visitors to the complex must bring their own seating. Growe hopes to eventually add bleachers.

Clark Companies, an athletic-field builder in Delhi, is the general contractor and Chenango Contracting, Inc. of Johnson City is installing the turf. Work began in March and should wrap up in mid-July to late-July, Growe says.

“We’re definitely planning to have some tournaments there in the fall,” she adds.

The fields, when fully booked, could draw as many as 2,500 people a weekend, according to Growe. Over the course of a season, that really adds up, she says, and all those people will need places to eat, will stop to buy gas, and will visit restaurants and grocery stores to eat.

Working with the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, Growe says they estimated the economic impact to businesses and hotels would be about $2 million annually.

On top of those visitors, the complex is highly visible along Front Street, with hundreds of vehicles driving past daily. Broome County is hoping to capitalize on that visibility by marketing the naming rights for the complex. The county is accepting bids through May 31 for those rights, and Growe says she is also working with other entities on various sponsorship opportunities including signage and windscreens.

Along with being included on signage that will be visible in the complex and from surrounding roadways, the naming sponsor will also be included on all media and materials that promote the fields and events taking place there.