Rudd Pond makeover begins

MILLERTON — So long pond weeds. So long dirty beach. So long “sludgy, mucky material,� as aptly described by Millerton Mayor John Scutieri.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the local Friends of Rudd Pond group, as well as a gift from an anonymous donor, a major project to harvest overgrowing milfoil weeds in Rudd Pond has been successfully completed. That project represents the kick-off of what Scutieri hopes is an ongoing campaign to repair Rudd Pond’s reputation.

The Friends of Rudd Pond initially gathered to address the impending closure of the Taconic State Park at Rudd Pond. But grassroots efforts in Millerton and across the state kept Rudd Pond and many other parks open.

“But a lot of things that would have typically happened didn’t happen because of budget cutbacks,� Scutieri said. “One of them was harvesting weeds in the pond. And it wouldn’t take long for Rudd Pond, being so shallow, to turn into a swamp. One hot season like this one and that pond would have been an absolute mess.�

Scutieri said he had spoken to people who had complained that the weeds were so bad a few weeks ago that they had rented rowboats but couldn’t even paddle through the growth in the water.

So with the help of the anonymous donor, Shoreline Weed Control was hired to address what turned out to be a $10,000 problem lurking just below the water’s surface. Their work, and attention to detail, the mayor said, has turned Rudd Pond around. The company also hydro-raked the beach, a form of dredging, just one of the many projects to renovate the area.

“Overall our goal is to get back the image of Rudd Pond, to clean it up and get it back to where you remember it being 25 or 30 years ago,� Scutieri said. “It used to be that if you didn’t get to the pond before noon on a Saturday, it was so full you couldn’t even get in.�

It’s already halfway through the summer season now, but there’s plenty to keep the Friends of Rudd Pond busy before next spring, when the group hopes the pond and park will have undergone a complete overhaul, improving the public’s perception of the pond.

“As pleased as I am, I don’t think what we’ve done so far is quite enough to reintroduce Rudd Pond,� Scutieri said. “The main building, where they have concessions and changing stands, is really dated, and I would love to see that renovated.�

The mayor said that while Shoreline Weed Control did a great job cleaning up the milfoil, the entire perimeter of the pond is still filled with lily pads and that will have to be addressed before people are really going to embrace swimming or taking out a rowboat on the water.

“The weeding was really the beginning of what the group is trying to accomplish,� he explained. “We’ve worked hard to get to this point, and we’ve managed to get donors who generously aided us and that’s a first step.�

Friends of Rudd Pond will continue meeting and working to raise more money and build a better relationship with the state’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation so that New York state is on the same page as the local volunteers.

“I think that it’s gone a long way in a short time,� he said. “We’ve developed a great rapport with the Taconic State Park crew and caretakers, who have been doing a great job, and I think that they recognize how serious we are, especially after the weeding. We’re not just a committee that meets and doesn’t follow through.�

Anyone is welcome to join the Friends of Rudd Pond, and can sign up by calling the Village Hall at 518-789-4489. Leave your name, phone number and e-mail address to be signed up to the Friends of Rudd Pond mailing list, which will be updated with new information and future meeting dates.