Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

June 15, 2009

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation 2008 EPF Grant Awards

Albany

Cathedral Restoration Corporation - $500,000
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, one of the Empire State's greatest architectural treasures, a prolific and historic landmark of the City of Albany, N.Y the oldest neo - Gothic cathedral in the United States and the first of sixteen cathedrals designed by the noted 19th century architect Patrick Charles Keely is being restored and preserved for future generations to enjoy. Between July of 2000 and August of 2004, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany under the aegis of the Cathedral Restoration Corporation began a multi-million dollar restoration of the Cathedral, resulting in the installation of a lead roof and the replacement of deteriorated exterior stone surfaces. The next phase of restoration will address the deteriorated stone surfaces and main staircase on the east façade or main entrance of the Cathedral facing Eagle Street to ensure safe access and egress for the public and to enhance the beauty of the structure.

Allegany

The Fountain Arts Center, Inc. - $342,210
The Fountain Arts Center is a not-for-profit corporation established to promote visual and performing arts, and to celebrate the history and art of western New York citizens by providing cultural opportunities through classes, exhibits, performances, and marketing opportunities. It has also undertaken the preservation and rehabilitation of its facility, the former Belmont Hotel, a nationally registered historic landmark, and is seeking EPF Historic Preservation funding, as well as Historic Preservation tax credits, to complete improvements to the commercial areas of the facility. The arts center has successfully partnered with a housing corporation, and is in the process of totally rehabilitating the structure--creating 19 residential units on the upper floors to provide housing, and street level storefront venues for artists and performers, thus reviving the sagging morale and economy of an under-served rural community and county seat.

Bronx

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation - $600,000
The acquisition of this 2.7 mile abandoned railroad right-of-way will help in unifying the completed portions of the region-wide trail system through the City linking with additional access to the Harlem River thereby promoting future projects offering waterfront amenities. This extension of the Greenway through the City will be designed to be ADA compliant for a range of multi-modal forms of transportation.

Broome

Village of Johnson City - $50,000
The Village of Johnson City is seeking funding for the relocation and restoration of Harry L. Johnson Statue. The Statue is an identified resource of the Susquehanna Heritage Area. Harry L. Johnson was a great humanitarian and assisted in the founding of Your Home Library.

Chautauqua

Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement - $132,875
Project continues OPRHP effort to restore the 1875 Gothic Victorian lighthouse building, and to secure the site, which has lost a retaining wall and is subject to shore erosion. CHRIC is a non-profit NYS Rural Preservation Company providing grant writing and administration services for the non-profit that owns and operates the National Register of Historic Places lighthouse. It is important to complete the work on restoring the architectural elements of the building, and to secure the perimeter of the site from shore erosion and potential vandalism.

Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Inc. - $209,677
CWC is a land trust which has conserved 600 acres and with NYS has conserved 1.8 miles of Chautauqua Lake & Outlet shoreline. In this phase of its "Last Mile Campaign" it seeks to conserve 3.5 acres of wild lakeshore forest threatened by sale for residential development, including 208 feet of lakeshore, to protect the ecology, habitat and hydrology of the forest and its series of interlaced wetlands and watercourses storing and delivering water to the lake. CWC seeks to protect in perpetuity the public's use of the water surface and bottom here, which is one of the last and most popular boating "tie-up" sandy bottom spots used by the public for swimming and wading, which supports the tourist economy.

Fenton Historical Society dba Fenton History Center - $81,060
The Fenton Historical Society dba the Fenton History Center--Museum and Research Center is housed in NYS Gov. R. E. Fenton's 1863 home. Our mission educate our residents and visitors about the history of Jamestown and southern Chautauqua County N.Y., of which the Fenton Mansion is integral. The Mansion is in need of exterior envelope work, interior restoration of period rooms, exhibit space renovations, and accessibility for people with disabilities.

Chemung

Trinity Episcopal Church - $176,834
Repair and renovate louvres to solve the problem of undesired water entry into the steeple interior. Continued deterioration from weather elements can undermine the steeple and lead to deterioration of the interior space of the steeple and the platforms behind the louvres. Deterioration of the gutters and hogback on the Sacristy roof has led to severe interior water damages. To maintain the integrity of the structure, existing gutter and hogback will be removed and new tern coated stainless gutter and hogback fabricated and installed; metal rolled ridge cap will be removed and new copper rolled ridge cap and finial fabricated and installed.

Chenango

Village of Oxford - $52,500
The Village of Oxford acquired a three story Richardson Romanesque style building of brick and Oxford Bluestone with conical corner turrent,round arched windows and bold, rock faced stonework, const. in 1894. The building exterior requires repair replacement in kind to the roof and drainage system, repointing of existing brick and bluestone, repair replacement in kind and appurtenant assemblies, and repair replacement in kind of various sills, headers, caps and trim. The exterior is in substantially poor condition and will result in failure if repair replacement in kind is not accomplished.

Clinton

North Country Cultural Center for the Arts - $300,000
The North Country Cultural Center for the Arts is a non-profit, multi-arts organization founded in 2000, whose mission is to promote, cultivate, and sustain the arts for the residents and visitors of Clinton and northern Franklin Counties. In 2004, NCCCA purchased the historic Strand Theatre in downtown Plattsburgh with the goal of restoring it to its 1924 grandeur and turning it into a performing arts center to provide access to the arts for the people of Plattsburgh and other North Country communities and to contribute to the revitalization of the City. This grant would support interior and exterior work included in Phase III of the renovation plan. The fully restored theatre will be a cultural landmark which, combined with the high-quality theatre productions and educational programs it will host, is expected to draw visitors to the City from northern New York, Vermont and Canada.

Columbia

Historic Hudson - $175,000
In April 2008, after 10 years of advocacy, Historic Hudson, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1996 to preserve the architectural heritage and culture of the City of Hudson, signed a 30-year lease with the State of New York for stewardship of the Plumb-Bronson House, a National Historic Landmark and the earliest extant example of the Hudson River Bracketed style by the premier 19th-century architect Alexander Jackson Davis.

With this stewardship, Historic Hudson will begin to implement its Five Year Fundraising Plan for restoration and reuse of the house, and is applying for an EPF grant for urgently needed repair and emergency stabilization of the chimneys, roof, foundation, and windows, and abatement and reconnection of basic utilities including water, electric, septic, and security, to make the house secure and safe for limited public access and to prepare for ongoing restoration work.

Emergency stabilization is critical at this point in time to protect the house against further deterioration and mitigate the continued threat to the structure from abandonment and neglect. The house has been vacant for thirty-five years, and was vandalized in the 1970's, during a period when ownership of the building was being transferred from one state agency to another.

Hudson Opera House, Inc. - $200,000
Built in 1855, the Hudson Opera House is New York State's oldest surviving theatre. It operates today as a 501c3 multi-arts center, the mission of which is to promote the arts and foster the cultural and economic development of the region. HOH has embarked upon a capital campaign to fund the $8 million construction project that will restore most of the unrestored portions of the Opera House, including the grand second-floor performance hall. The current proposed project will restore the performance hall, returning to civic and cultural use the much-needed 300-seat auditorium that has been dark for more than 40 years.

The First Presbyterian Church of Hudson, New York - $25,000
The work is to repair and restore the walls, tower, trim and rose window of the church building which was built in 1837 and altered in 1876. The building, one of two remaining religious buildings on the street, is an integral and important part of the architectural unity of Warren Street and is used by many community organizations.

Dutchess

First Congregational Church of the United Church - $50,000
The historic church is located in a high visibility corridor in the City of Poughkeepsie. The congregation has a significant antislavery history and was recently designated an official site on the New York Underground Railroad Heritage Trail. The Romanesque Revival brick sanctuary, dating to 1859, is the only architect designed building in the Upper Mill Street Historic District. The church urgently needs to restore and repaint exterior woodwork which is rotted and exposed, to restore two nonfigural stained glass windows that are buckling and in danger of collapse, and to remove yellowed Lexan glazing from all stained glass windows, replacing only as necessary in high risk areas. The Lexan is so severely opaque that the church currently appears from the outside to be boarded up.

Vassar-Warner Home - $50,000
Vassar-Warner Home is the sole not-for-profit Adult Home in Dutchess County, servicing the needs of seniors since 1871, regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin, sex, sexual preference, or socio-economic status. The porches and columns are a signature of the home, and are in direneed of repair. It is important to preserve the appearance and integrity of the structures, in addition to ensuring the safety of the residents, staff and visitors.

Village of Tivoli - $300,000
The Village of Tivoli, a low income (HUD eligible) municipality, is requesting EPF funding to support the installation of a variety of recreational enhancements to the Tivoli Waterfront Park. Acquisition of the site from CSX Railroad will be completed by September 30, 2008 and the Village will possess a highly unique recreational opportunity; safe pedestrian access to a park on the Hudson River. It is a major enhancement and an opportunity to support the Village's economic growth on the key element of its traditional heritage, its relationship to the Hudson River.

Walkway Over the Hudson - $600,000
Walkway Over the Hudson is a Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit organization, established in 1992, that is working to transform the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge into the world's longest elevated public park. Walkway Over the Hudson owns the railroad bridge, which is on the National Historic Register and has been unused since a fire in 1974. The organization is seeking to complete construction of the new pedestrian walkway, which will join and extend hiking and biking trails on both sides of the Hudson River, in time to serve as a centerpiece of New York State's Quadricentennial Celebration in September, 2009.

Erie

Alleyway Theatre Inc - $400,000
The project will rehabilitate the exterior slate roof, Medina sandstone walls, and beautiful stained glass windows of this prominent former church, overlooking Frederick Law Olmsted's Richmond Avenue and recently restored Ferry Circle in Buffalo's Elmwood Village neighborhood, as part of Alleyway Theatre Inc.'s adaptive use into the Buffalo area's only community based, multi-use center for the arts and community organizations.

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy d.b.a. Albright-Knox - $450,000
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is an E.B. Green-designed Greek revival style building. Today the grand entrance staircase on the east side of this historically significant building is suffering the ravages of time and is in desperate need of stabilization and repair. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is a world renowned museum of modern and contemporary art and a cornerstone of cultural tourism for the Buffalo Niagara region and all of Western New York that must be preserved and maintained and made accessible to all.

City of Lackawanna - $35,557
The City of Lackawanna will make improvements to the ball fields and tennis courts at Memorial Park, including new fencing at the outfield and the backstop, leveling and landscaping of the infield, and resurfacing of the tennis courts.

Martin House Restoration Corporation - $200,000
Essential to its goal of totally restoring the Darwin D. Martin House complex to its original condition and operating it as a house museum, the Martin House Restoration Corporation will recreate the complex's historic landscape. Recreation of the landscape will include a scholar's conference, preparation of a Historic Landscape Report, and implementation of the landscape as designed by landscape architects, experts, and consultants.

Oracle Charter School - $111,832
Oracle Charter School, located in the Charles W. Goodyear mansion on Buffalo's Millionaire's Row, will restore all the exterior windows and doors on the mansion as well as the roofing materials on the carriage house. The restoration will preserve an important structure designed by E.B. Green. Without immediate restoration to the doors, windows and roof, irrevocable damage will occur to the historic structure.

Town of Brant - $75,000
The Town of Brant will implement enhancements to the Brant Town Park, the only public recreation area located in Brant, to increase the recreational capacity of the Town Park, including the expansion of a multi-use trail, installing stationery fitness equipment along the trail, developing a soccer field, constructing a skate park, installing two foot bridges over existing culverts, installing a gazebo, shelters and grills, plus ordering a new sign for the entrance to the Park.

Valley Community Association Inc. - $270,000
The Valley Community Association will develop the Buffalo River Fest Park, a multi-phase park construction project on the Buffalo River in downtown Buffalo. The project is important as a whole to increase public access to the Buffalo River, make it a destination for tourists, preserve and educate about the historic nature of the area, and increase events held along the Buffalo River and in downtown Buffalo.

Village of North Collins - $200,000
The Village of North Collins will purchase 4.3 acres of property to develop the first park in the Village, which will include parking, bocce court, volleyball court, skate park, basketball court, walking paths, a children's play area, and a restroom/concession facility.

Village of Williamsville - $100,000
The Village will preserve the Williamsvile Water Mill. Work will include masonry and carpentry work needed to stabilize the structure, roofing, painting, and sitework to prevent further deterioration of the building.

Essex

Open Space Conservancy - $500,000
The Open Space Conservancy, OSC, acquired the 10,000-acre Tahawus parcel in 2003, including the historic Village of Adirondac. For the past three years, OSC has been restoring the two most significant components of the Village: MacNaughton Cottage and the 1854 Blast Furnance. These resources are the most significant 19th century industrial artifacts in the Park and in the case of the blast furnace, the world.

Franklin

Adirondack Carousel - $100,000
The Adirondack Carousel project is working to upgrade the William Morris Park in Saranac Lake, NY by building an Adirondack-themed carousel fusing art, education and entertainment as a healthy means for economic growth for the region. A year-round pavilion will be constructed to house the Carousel and provide added space for workshops, special events, and art exhibits. This funding request will go toward constructing the pavilion with environmentally-sound solutions that will be documented for educating future generations of visitors and children.

Altamont Free Library - $112,875
The Altamont Free Library recently acquired the former Delaware and Hudson Railway Station in the heart of the Village of Altamont to be the future home of the Altamont Free Library, which is currently housed in the basement of the local bank not accessible to all patrons. In need of repair, the Library has undertaken fund-raising to renovate this historic structure; including the replacement of the roof, rehabilitating the exterior envelope, increasing energy efficiency and interior restoration. The Altamont Free Library renovation project will provide the greater Altamont area with a historic structure in the center of the Village accessible to all patrons.

First Congregational Church of Malone - $150,000
The church seeks additional funding in order to complete ongoing masonry repairs; this additional money will support the costs associated with additional masonry repairs and repointing of the tower, the reconstruction of one severely deteriorated pinnacle, pay for additional costs to finish tower work requiring scafforlding in one construction season.

Town of Brighton - $200,000
As the Brighton Town Hall approaches its centennial, the townspeople are eager to restore it to its original state and add a much needed appropriately designed addition to accommodate the increased requirements of town business.

Jefferson

4 River Valleys Historical Society - $135,000
The 4 River Valleys Historical Society is seeking funding to prevent irreversible damage and destruction caused by water flowing though foundation walls and cellar of an 1820 native limestone house in the hamlet of Champion, NY. This Federal structure, one of the earliest built in the area by Noadiah Hubbard, is in danger of massive deconstruction if emergency measures are not taken to alleviate the current water problemm, stabilize windows and the main doorway, and provide a permanent drainage solution for the property. When this is accomplished, the exterior walls will be re-pointed and rotting wood that has been in constant contact with moisture will be replaced, then the building can provide a needed historic residence housing museum, reference library and education center under the auspices of the historical society, in partnership with the Town of Champion.

Town of Clayton - $213,334
In an attempt to maximize the public's access to the waterfront, both physical and visual, the proposed Clayton Riverwalk-Frink Segment-Phase II project focuses on the stabilization of segments of the 1,254 feet of prime St. Lawrence shoreline located within the publically-owned 8.41 acre Frink property-the Town of Clayton owns a 25' public easement along the shoreline of this property-as well as the construction of two overlooks, three sets of stairs to future docking, handicapped access to future docking, seating, lighting, plantings and special pavements, as well as a railing in the overlook areas.

Town of Rodman - $23,611
The Town of Rodman is requesting an Environmental Protection Fund Park Development Grant to purchase and install a new play system for the Rodman Community Hall Playground in the hamlet of Rodman in Jefferson County. Grant funds will be used for the purchase of a new play system and fencing to enclose the existing baseball field. In accordance with the Town's adopted Recreation Plan completion of this project will result in enhanced recreational opportunities in the Town and will allow Rodman to continue its efforts to improve the community's only recreational play area.

Kings

New York Congregational Center for Community - $400,000
New York Congregational Center for Community Life (NYCCCL) will rehabilitate the exterior of the former New York Congregation Home for the Aged including repair or replacement of the roofing, gutters and decorative cornices, masonry, cast stone, terra cotta and stucco repair, repointing, and window and door repair.

Rugged Cross Baptist Church - $250,000
Rugged Cross Baptist Church will restore the stained glass windows, bell tower and roofing.

Livingston

Village of Geneseo - $364,059
The Village of Geneseo is requesting funding to make needed improvements to Highland Park which is the largest and most heavily used recreational facility in the Village. The project includes the acquisition of four vacant properties adjoining the Park and the construction of a perimeter walking trail, a new multi-purpose playing field, the upgrading of existing playground equipment, a practice wall for tennis, soccer and handball, demolition of vacant former DPW buildings, a new pavilion with an area for concession stands and new bathroom facilities. The project implements the Village's Comprehensive Plan adopted in September 2007 and a Recreational Needs Analysis and Action Plan completed by the Village earlier this year.

Madison

Madison County Planning Department - $45,000
Madison County is requesting funding for the construction of a bathroom facility located at Oxbow Falls County Park. Oxbow Falls is the most visited Madison County Park and is located almost directly adjacent to NYS OPRHP's Lehigh Valley Railroad, the corridor used for the North Country National Scenic Trail.

Monroe

City of Rochester - $350,000
Dedicated in 1885 and listed on the National Historic Register since 1972, Rochester's first federal building's cultural and historic significance is many faceted: architecturally - one of only three remaining 19th century government buildings and the only structure attributable to Harvey Ellis in downtown Rochester; socially - 40,000 visitors as well as hundreds of marriages, events and City functions held annually; and, as reflected in the original National Register nomination form, historically as a notable example of innovative Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. The City of Rochester, in response to the significant safety hazard currently posed to passersby from falling stone caused by the separation of deteriorating brownstone from the façade, as well as in response to assessment and investigation activities conducted over the past 8 years, proposes a comprehensive restoration to the facade of this historic federal building and current municipal headquarters. This project incorporates extensive repair and replacement of regionally-sourced brownstone masonry as well as environmentally sound exterior cleaning to arrest interior water damage attributed to the delamination of the exterior masonry which will, without repair, continue to cause substantial damage impacting this historic building's stability, safety and sustainability.

Town of Clarkson - $298,125
The Town of Clarkson, located in Monroe County, just north of the Village of Brockport and 20 miles west of the City of Rochester, requested NYSOPRHP funding to acquire 50 acres of open space in the center of the Town to develop a community park. The Town will purchase an abandoned, private recreational facility, currently for sale on the open market, to construct two youth football fields, rehabilitate existing softball diamonds, and renovate an enclosed pavilion. The Town, which is the second-fastest growing community in the nine-county Genesee Finger Lakes Region, needs to expand its community recreational resources to accommodate its expanding youth and adult population.

Town of Irondequoit - $67,000
The proposed project is the fee simple acquisition by the Town of Irondequoit of one of the few remaining undeveloped spaces in the town. The acquisition will protect 20 acres of environmentally-sensitive land from development and help advance the economic revitalization of an Upstate community.

Nassau

Inc Village of Lynbrook - $50,000
The Village of Lynbrook proposes to redevelop currently owned vacant land to create a park having recreational opportunities to include a walk-bike trail and fitness equipment.

Incorporated Village of Sea Cliff - $115,575
The Village of Sea Cliff seeks funds to make repairs to the roof in order to stop leaks that are damaging the building. The Village also will hire an expert in the restoration and preservation of landmark churches to prepare a Condition Survey for the long-term preservation of the buildingto preserve its architectural integrity and Local, State and National Landmark status, as well as to continue the buildings important role as a Library, Museum, Village Hall and Community Center.

Let All The Children Play - $200,000
Let All The Children Play is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating Universally Accessible Playgrounds and programs that allow children with disabilities to play side-by-side with all of their peers, thus creating a truly integrated environment where friendship and acceptance can flourish. In partnership with the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums, Let All The Children Play is coordinating the development of a two-acre Universally Accessible Playground demonstration site at Nassau County's Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York.

Nassau County - $438,000
Nassau County is purchasing three parcels of land on the south shore of Central Nassau to be preserved as community open space. These three parcels represent some of the last remaining open space in the area, and the last publicly accessible, undeveloped waterfront property.

Nassau County - $300,000
Nassau County is purchasing a portion of this property for preservation purposes. The property hosts a rare freshwater ecology and is critical for the integrity of the Shu Swamp Preserve. It is located in the Oyster Bay Special Groundwater Protection Area and is significant to regional and state planning documents.

Onderdonk Landmark Society, Ltd. - $196,372
The Onderdonk Landmark Society, Ltd. is seeking funds to restore the Horatio Gates Onderdonk House, a rare example of Temple Front GreekRevival architecture on Long Island. In order to counter the effects of time and weather, restoration of this 1836 structure will consists of securing the building envelope, restoring exterior drainage components, and restoring interior finishes. Without these repairs, water infiltration will continue to jeopardize the framing and negatively impact the historic integrity of the house.

The North Shore Historical Museum, Inc. - $150,000
The North Shore Historical Museum, Inc. has a dedicated volunteer board of trustees which is in the process of raising funds to restore a 100 year old former police and courthouse building. When completed, the history of the north shore will forever be preserved in a building that has architectural value.

New York

New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture - $250,000
The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture will stabilize the Whitney Studio's historic façade and windows, and enhance public access.

South Street Seaport Museum - $200,000
South Street Seaport Museum will restore the remaining interior sections of the historic Fulton Ferry Hotel. The building which housed the hotel was built in 1810 as a pier-side warehouse and counting house to handle the goods coming off the clipper ships and other cargo vessels docked at the Seaport. The only such remaining structure of its type, the hotel was an integral part of the waterfront during a time when this area was the mercantile and the financial hub of the City.

Niagara

City of Niagara Falls - $100,000
The City of Niagara Falls will undertake the interior restoration of the U.S. Customhouse, which has been abandoned for a decade and has deteriorated due to water damage. The restored building will serve as an international intermodal transportation center and underground railroad interpretive center.

Niagara County - $99,305
Niagara County will make improvements to Oppenheim Park, one of the most popular parks in the Niagara County Parks. However, the wading pool has been permanently closed due to cracks in the surface and undersized drainage caused a back-up of water and the collection of decomposing debris that rendered the pool unhealthy and unsafe. This project will remove the pool and replace it with a safe, energy efficient water playground.

Oneida

City of Rome - $300,000
Rome is requesting $300,000 to create a trailhead and activity center on the Mohawk River Trail at Pinti Field which will include: 1 - construction of a canoe launch facility, to control access for canoes and other human-powered watercraft, 2 - construction of a handicapped-accessible fishing dock in response to strong public demand, 3 - construction of a pedestrian bridge to connect the park to Staley Upper Elementary School on the opposite bank, 4 - creation of a controlled-access school science research area for the Staley students along the riverbank, 5 - reconstruction of an existing fitness trail to accommodate walkers, runners, cross-country skiers and snowshoers, and 6 - expansion of the existing cross-country running trail at Staley to incorporate the reconstructed Pinti Field fitness trail. This project is important to the surrounding densely populated, low-income neighborhood because improving and expanding this riverside park will enrich the quality of life in the neighborhood, it's important to the general community because providing ample amenities and access points on the Mohawk River Trail will encourage use and thereby improve the health and quality of life of the entire community, and it is important to the success of the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor because the Mohawk River Trail will provide crucial connections between the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor and Greenway, the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor, the Northern Frontier Project, the North Country National Scenic Trail, the Black River Canal Trail and several other New York State scenic trails.

The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica - $600,000
The proposed Rutger Park Preservation project has three main goals: (1) acquisition of the nationally significant mansions at Numbers 1 and 3 Rutger Park, the now vacant lot where 2 Rutger Park once stood, and the associated estate grounds; (2) stabilization of the exterior envelopes of the mansions and protection of the associated cultural landscape, while providing access to currently underutilized and abandoned urban open space; and (3) development of a new source for heritage tourism, which establishes greater public awareness, ensures long-term public access, and provides an educational resource through permanent interpretive exhibitions and curricula programs dedicated to nineteenth century architecture, politics, and landscape design.

Onondaga

Onondaga Historical Association - $125,000
The Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center wants to restore and preserve the façade of its historic 1906 building by replacing bricked-in street level windows with glass as per the originals, and repairing 44 deteriorating, hazardous upper level windows. The project will improve the organization's presence and the neighborhood, attract more visitors, help achieve the goals of the Heritage Area Master Plan, contribute to city revitalization, and encourage economic development.

Universal Brownfield Revitalization Corporation - $250,000
The Universal Brownfield Revitalization Corporation is a non-profit community based organization whose stated mission is to promote and facilitate the revitalization and reuse of underutilized and impaired properties for community benefit. UBRC will acquire the historic NY Central Railroad Mail and Freight Depot property in Syracuse, New York. Future plans for the structure will include the renovation and repair of the train platform, power house building, chimney and former passenger tunnel extending below Interstate 690. By transforming this historic property, currently in an advanced state of disrepair, into a viable community asset, UBRC will create an attractive gateway into Syracuse's downtown.

Village of Elbridge - $73,000
Typical of most villages across Central New York, the Village of Elbridge does not have a Village Center. In order to address the need for a community focal point, the Village purchased the subject site in June of 2004 for the purpose of improving the site to meet community needs. The purpose of this application is to assist funding of the necessary improvements, including a Band Shell.

Village of Manlius - $100,000
The Village of Manlius, the first Village organized in Onondaga County in 1813, is planning to make improvements to its main community park, the Village Centre Park, which is located in the heart of Village's central business district along State Route 92. The proposed project involves turning the Village's landmark Swan Pond into a true a gateway to the remainder of the Park. Because of the Park's central location and proximity to the business community, this Project will play an important role in both increasing use of the Park and enhancing economic activity in the Village, which in turn will contribute to the vitality and continued growth of the Upstate New York Region.

Ontario

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Foundation - $330,000
Owned by the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Foundation, the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse, which is part of the Farmington Quaker Crossroads Historic District, will be stabilized and relocated to a site about 500 feet south, near its original site, and its exterior restored.

Orange

City of Middletown - $400,000
The City of Middletown is requesting funds to rehabilitate the War Memorial Pool and adjacent wading pool in Fancher Davidge Park. These swimming facilities are a vital recreational resource to thousands of children, families, seniors and residents. These pools need to be replaced because they have become structurally irreparable and to better conserve water resources.

Town of Highlands - $41,180
The Town of Highlands is seeking funding for physical improvements to Brooks Park, which is the only facility of this kind available in the hamlet of Fort Montgomery. Brooks Park provides a wide range of recreational opportunities for everyone from toddlers to seniors with its walking trails, large lake for fishing, basketball court, baseball diamond, children's play area and picnic area. The town proposes to increase the versatility and use of this park through moving the basketball court, expanding the size of the baseball diamond, adding a gazebo and expanding the parking area, and constructing a dog park.

Orleans

Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum - $85,000
The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum organized to rebuild the historic Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Oak Orchard Harbor, Orleans County, guided by historic documents available from the National Archives. The goal is to preserve and promote the maritime, environmental, and human history of our area through museum activities. Orleans County is one of the poorest per capita counties in NYS, but with promotion andlinkages of its natural and historic resources, including the Erie Canal, the Oak Orchard River System and Lake Ontario, there is a unique opportunity to support efforts to develop a robust economy for Orleans and surrounding areas based on tourism and recreation.

Village of Albion - $70,495
The Village of Albion's proposed park project involves the revitalization of two of our existing playgrounds. Both Carosol and Veterans' Memorial Parks are extremely deteriorated and restoration would not only benefit community children, families and seniors but also extend to those traveling along Erie Canal since both parks are within walking distance of the Canal. This project is important to the Village of Albion because it would create a safer playground environment by replacing dangerous equipment as well as increase outdoor recreational opportunities by providing areas for picnics and socializing.

Queens

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation - $200,000
Since the late 1970's, the Parks Department and the N.Y. State Department of Environmental Conservation have acquired various parcels of upland and lands underwater that form the existing limits of the Udalls Park Preserve for the purpose of protecting and preserving this avian and wetlands habitat. With the assistance of State EPF funds, the Parks Department will acquire the remaining ten undeveloped lots of 1.8-acres that remain privately owned within Udalls Park Preserve. The project will create a unified nature preserve system by preserving the remaining lots and preventing any future development in a wetlands area.

Rensselaer

Friends of the Dyken Pond Center, Ltd. - $50,000
The Friends of the Dyken Pond Center is a not-for-profit membership organization that supports the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, a Rensselaer County-owned natural area in the Town of Grafton. The Friends will purchase 23 forested acres with 1100 feet of shoreline on Dyken Pond's Otter Cove, just a few steps away from the Center's canoe and kayak launch, and contiguous with 370 acres of County and private conservation lands. Protecting the Otter Cove parcel, which is in imminent danger of being developed, will not only preserve the outdoor experience and rural atmosphere for Center visitors, but will also provide for expansion of recreational trails and educational programs from the Center, preserve the intact ecological landscape of a large forest block, maintain wildlife habitat for forest interior species, protect three species of plants rare in Rensselaer County, and help preserve the water quality and shoreline integrity of Dyken Pond, headwaters for the Poesten Kill.

Kate Mullany National Historic Site - $125,000
The American Labor Studies Center, which owns and operates the Kate Mullany National Historic Site under a collaborative agreement with the National Park Service, circa 1870 proposes to restore the apartment of Kate Mullany to its original configuration. This will complete the restoration, thus opening the site to visitors.

Knickerbocker Historical Society, Inc. - $58,050
It is the mission of the Knickerbocker Historical Society, Inc. to maintain and preserve the Knickerbocker Mansion and the remains of the 1676 Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree. This project will rebuild the chimney system on the western section of the Mansion. This is important because no interior work on that side of the building can take place until the chimney system is rebuilt.

Richmond

Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Inc. - $100,000
Snug Harbor is a major regional cultural center with strong historic ties to New York's maritime industry. Building C is the first building ever landmarked in the United States and is now in need of ceiling and wall restoration, installation of an elevator, upgrade in electrical wiring and installation of temperature controls.

Rockland

Historical Society of Rockland County - $146,430
The Historical Society of Rockland County, serving all of the people of the county, owns a modern history museum building and the beautiful 1832 Jacob Blauvelt farmstead, a unique complex lived in by the Blauvelt family until 1975, when it was first interpreted as a house museum. The history and Dutch-Flemish architecture of this house and site document Dutch settlement in the Lower Hudson Valley, and the restoration is crucial to its continued use as an educational site, especially in the Quadricentennial year 2009 when the museum will host a comprehensive exhibition on the Tappan Zee Bridge, bringing increased heritage tourism to our area. This preservation project will assure the continuance of this property for the County and NYS.

Village of Piermont - $200,000
The Village of Piermont intends to complete the restoration of the historic National Register listed brick arch Rockland Road Bridge, which was initiated, but not completed, by County of Rockland because of lack of funding. Because of advancing deterioration, a complete restoration of the bridge must be done to prevent the loss of this significant structure, which is the last of its kind in Rockland and one of only three remaining in the state, and return it to use as a key connector across the Sparkill Creek. In addition to restoring the bridge, work will include installing rock walls at the entrances to match the parapet walls for sitting and viewing the Sparkill Creek and surrounding historic buildings, a new walkway accessible to people with disabilities, and landscaping to create a parklike setting to enhance the scenic beauty of the bridge and its historic surrounds.

Village of Spring Valley - $150,000
The Village of Spring Valley seeks funding to develop Kennedy Park, a 5.45 acre tract of forested land, to include nature trails and a picnic pavilion. Development of the Park will provide the more than 25,000 residents of the Village with a unique opportunity to experience the natural environment in a safe and relaxing atmosphere. Serving as a future community gathering place, Kennedy Park is an integral part of Spring Valley's revitalization, providing improved recreational opportunities for citizens who are not always able to experience New York's scenic beauty.

Saratoga

City of Mechanicville - $234,364
The City of Mechanicville will utilize $234,363 in EPF funds to make major visual and functional improvements to the City Dock and Terminal Street, which connects the Hudson River to the City's downtown. Boater and visitor comfort will be greatly improved by the addition of Amenities, including shade trees, benches, bicycle racks, informational kiosks, ornamental pavers and landscaping, a new toilet and changing facility and directional and interpretive signage. This project will contribute to the revitalization of the regional economy through increased visitation to the downtown area and increased heritage tourism in accord with the goals of the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Strategic Plan, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Plan, and the Mechanicville Economic Redevelopment Plan.

Saratoga P.L.A.N. - $150,000
The non-profit Saratoga P.L.A.N., Preserving Land and Nature, the only Land Trust covering Saratoga County, seeks to preserve significant places within the county through acquisition of land and conservation easements. P.L.A.N. seeks to acquire an approximately 50-acre parcel located immediately adjacent to lands already protected at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park. Preservation of this parcel will provide additional protection to a state-designated Threatened species, the Blanding's turtle, by providing additional habitat and buffer to the population discovered in the Park in 2003 as well as expand the area available for recreational trails.

Universal Preservation Hall - $224,256
The Universal Preservation Hall, built in 1871 and located in the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs, is one of the oldest and finest examples of High Victorian Gothic architecture in the country and has hosted such luminaries as Teddy Roosevelt, William Taft, William Jennings Bryan, Henry Ward Beecher, and Fredrick Douglass. This project aims to restore the plaza in front of the building, creating a unique and sustainable community center, used not only for performances and gatherings, but as a place for residents and visitors of downtown Saratoga Springs to sit, relax and enjoy the gardens. The smart growth-minded development of this beautiful public space on Saratoga Springs' historic west-side will also seek to preserve the inherent cultural and environmental resources of the city.

Suffolk

Incorporated Village of Patchogue - $91,704
The Village of Patchogue Parks and Recreation Department, under the guidance of the Village Board of Trustees, maintains seven recreational parks and facilities for use by the Village's 12,000 residents living in its 2.2 square mile boundary. The Shorefront Park, a continuous 7-acre stretch of parkland on the Great South Bay, is the site of the Village's largest playground which has deteriorated due to environmental factors and vandalism. The project includes the construction of a larger barrier free playground to allow children with disabilities to play side by side with all of their peers, creating an integrated environment where compassion and acceptance can flourish.

The Caumsett Foundation - $465,385
The Caumsett Foundation supports the preservation, adaptive re-use, and interpretation of Caumsett State Historic Park and is deeply committed to increasing the Park's use while returning the estate to its 1920's splendor. Since May 2000, the Foundation has used funds from grants and private sources for the stabilization of 11 of the 13 structures in the sites' Farm Group, a primary feature of the park's historic architectural fabric. This last phase will encompass the restoration of the Calf Barn and the Van Storage Shed which are closest to the park entrance and are targeted for use as the Visitor Orientation Center, Park Office, and public restroom facilities.

Town of Riverhead - $333,352
The Town of Riverhead proposes to acquire two properties improved with substandard commercial uses located along the banks of the Peconic River. The subject parcels are both priority parcels for public acquisition by the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County, and the Peconic Estuary Program; as well as being recognized as "Priority Projects" in the 2005 New York State Open Space Conservation Plan.

Town of Southampton - $300,000
The Nature Conservancy is working with the Town of Southampton to implement the Peconic Estuary Program Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) including the Critical Lands Protection Strategy (CLPS). The Reeves Bay acquisitions, which are the subject of this application, are high priorities for acquisition in the CLPS to protect tidal wetlands, water quality, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, public access, historical and archeological resources and recreational opportunities. The Ettlinger acquisition in Reeves Bay was funded under this program last year.

Tompkins

Danby Community Park Association, Inc. - $482,625
The Danby Community Park Association will develop and make accessible, an environmentally sustainable park with recreational facilities for year-round use. The Danby Park will include playing fields and courts, playgrounds, picnic facilities, and hiking and other trails including ADA accessible walkways that will serve the young and elderly.

Tem Skate Fund Social Ventures - $66,000
The Ithaca Skate Park, a 15,000 sq. ft outdoor concrete facility is threatened with closure. The park's obstacle design is out dated, poor use of space limits activity, and it is too small for the number of current and future users.

Ulster

Jewish Federation of Ulster County - $275,000
The Reher Bakery Building Restoration Project is a committee of the Jewish Federation of Ulster County, the educational, cultural, and social umbrella organization for the local Jewish community. We are undertaking the restoration of this 19th century building, which is the last virtually intact storefront in the Rondout - West Strand Historic District, to become a heritage cultural center that will relate the 19th century immigrant and mercantile history of the area for school groups, area residents and tourists. This project will support the cultural, economic and business development of the District by providing a venue for an important period in the region's history that is currently underserved by existing institutions, attracting more visitors to Kingston by appealing to the current interest in cultural and heritage tourism, increasing foot traffic from the waterfront up the Broadway hill for all area businesses, making the area more desirable as a business environment, and encouraging other individuals and businesses to rehabilitate other buildings in the area.

Mohonk Preserve - $100,000
The mission of the Mohonk Preserve is to protect the Shawangunk Mountains by inspiring people to care for, enjoy, and explore the natural world. The Mohonk Preserve safeguards and manages in perpetuity nearly 6,700 acres of mountain ridges, forests, fields, streams and ponds, and other unique environments. New York State's largest non-profit nature preserve welcomes 150,000 annual visitors who come to rockclimb, mountain bike, hike, ski, and study and enjoy nature. Acquisition of the Larsen property is a high priority for land protection due to its high biodiversity and as the northern terminus of the Shawangunk ridge.

The Nature Conservancy - $162,000
The Nature Conservancy manages Sam's Point Preserve at the highest point along the Shawangunks in partnership with the Open Space Institute and Palisades Interstate Park Commission, to maintain an extensive and globally rare dwarf pitch pine barrens, while providing recreational hiking opportunities for the public. The 5 mile system of carriageways connecting the Preserve's trailheads is severely deteriorated and requires restoration for continued public pedestrian access and to support a much needed ecological restoration and prescribed fire management program. Without road restoration, safe fire management is not possible and popular destinations at the Preserve are inaccessible for the public.

Town of Marlborough - $500,000
The town of Marlborough is attempting to acquire the 15.5 acre property listed in the NYS Open Space Plan as Milton Agway Overlook Park. Our interest in acquiring this land stems from its potential for public access to the Hudson River. Public access to the Hudson River from the western bank is severely limited by the CSX rail line, and the property's at-grade crossing of the tracks provides a rare and valuable opportunity for dramatically increasing local public use and enjoyment of the Hudson.

Women's Studio Workshop - $200,000
Women's Studio Workshop, a visual arts organization founded & working in Ulster County for 35 years, houses facilities for artists working in printmaking, papermaking, photography, book arts & ceramics, and supports regional, national & international artists through residencies & education programs.

In 2006, with support from NYS OPRHP, WSW completed rehabilitation of the facade of its 120-year-old studio building located at 722 Binnewater Lane, & listed on the Federal and State Registers of Historic Places as part of the Binnewater Historic District.

To address the need for increased studio space and additional accommodations for visiting artists, WSW proposes to acquire an adjacent property - 718 Binnewater Lane - a former hostel and part of the Binnewater Historic District, renovating it for office and reception area, larger kitchen facilities and dining area, possible gallery or archive, and accommodations for visiting artists, thereby freeing up the current combined office-kitchen-dining area in WSW's main buildng for additional studio space.

Warren

Town of Warrensburg - $62,500
The Town of Warrensburg proposes to discard of unsafe playground equipment, install new safe equipment for children ages 2 -12 and update the comfort station to meet ADA standards. This will provide families to gather and inspire children to enjoy playtime outdoors.

Westchester

City of Rye - $350,000
The City of Rye wants to purchase, protect, and preserve the important waterfront Bird property at 600 Milton Road for its environmental value to the health of the Blind Brook estuary and Long Island Sound, for its wetlands habitat, for its public recreational access to the waterfront, for its scenic views, for its historical importance as a rare surviving 19th-century farmstead, for its flood control value in a flood-prone area, for its educational potential, and to preserve the legacy of the illustrious scientists of the Bird family. Acquisition by the City would protect this endangered parcel from development. The lead not-for-profit group raising funds for acquisition is the Committee to Save the Bird Homestead, which is committed to restoring the buildings, managing the site, and running educational programs for school children and the general public, with an emphasis on the history of science, historic preservation, sustainability, and coastal ecosystems.

Department of Parks, City of Yonkers, NY - $65,000
The project will be the historic restoration of the Reflecting Pool Mosaics and the Temple Floor Mosaics at Untermyer Park and Gardens. The pool is deteriorating and if not restored will have to be completely demolished.

First Baptist Church of Ossining - $100,000
The First Baptist Church has been a significant part of the Village's community life since it was organized in 1790.The current Gothic structure was built in 1874 of brick with wooden trim and replaces an earlier Greek Revival structure built in 1815. The building has experienced wear and tear with harsh winters and freeze thaw action on brick and mortar and also on stained glass windows.

Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct - $200,000
The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct took on the project of restoring the 1840's home of the superintendent of this section of the Aqueduct which was constructed between 1837 and 1842. The house will become a much needed Visitor and Education center serving the 28-mile-long Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park. The Friends received a DOT grant of $694, 00 and have met the mandatory match of $173,000and have raised an additional $120.000.

Historic Hudson Valley - $100,000
Historic Hudson Valley is a private, non-profit educational organization that preserves and opens to the public six National Historic Landmarks. Among them is Philipsburg Manor Upper Mills, a 26-acre living history museum near the confluence of the Pocantico and Hudson Rivers that interprets the history of slavery in the North. Historic Hudson Valley proposes to replace wooden elements of the worn pedestrian access bridge and associated structures that have defined this cultural landscape since the 18th century.

National Trust for Historic Preservation - $100,000
Lyndhurst, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, seeks funding to complete the restoration of the 1895 shingle style Bowling Alley-Recreation Pavilion in order to provide the community with access to a historic resource that will only allow them to not only use the building, its bowling lanes and billiard room but also connect them to the River Walk Trail which is part of the Hudson Valley Greenway System. Once completed, this project will return this river front building to the community and allow them to use this Landmark structure in the same fashion as the former owners. This endeavor fills a void in the community by allowing a visitor experience that is rarely available along the Hudson River.

Wyoming

Portageville Chapel - $25,000
The private non profit organization is restoring a meeting house, The Universalist Church, built in 1841 which is registered on the New York and National Register of Historic Places. The Portageville Chapel, not affiliated with any religious organization, will make adaptive use of this building, equipping it with a pipe organ and a grand piano and rent it to organists and chamber musicians, as a rehearsalspace. It will also offer free concerts to the public. This project is important because it restores a beautiful piece of architecture with nine gothic windows especially worthy of restoration, celebrates the history of the area, and offers a classical music venue in an underserved area.

Village of Arcade - $35,310
Funding is requested to expand the Village's only parkland through the purchase of 10 acres of land immediately south of the Arcade Village Park, which provides a site for baseball, tennis, and family picnics, the only public recreation options currently available to local residents. Theproposed acquisition will allow the Village to implement recommendations of a Park System Master Plan developed in 2000, which identified an overriding need to provide a restructured and expanded park that will provide a variety of physical and passive recreation for all ages. Future development for the site under consideration includes the construction of nature, bicycling, BMX, snowmobile and cross country ski trails, construction of a skate park, and possible construction of an indoor, year-round recreational facility.