Washington working on new pedestrian bridge at town park

MABBETTSVILLE — Traveling through the Mabbettsville hamlet in the town of Washington lately, you may have noticed a great deal of construction and earth moving going on. The town of Washington is expanding its recreational offerings by building new multipurpose athletic fields adjacent to the existing town park and pool. The town pool has been part of the fabric of the town of Washington and village of Millbrook for decades. The town recognizes this and has invested in significant improvements there.

The town is utilizing a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), administered by the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, to connect the town park with newly acquired land to the east while improving handicapped accessibility, parking and emergency access from the new parkland parcel onto Route 44. Future plans for the park include development of the multipurpose fields and eventually a full walking path around the entire perimeter of the park’s grounds.

The town is expected to begin construction this week on a new pedestrian bridge, linking the town park and pool with the new multipurpose fields, which are under construction off Route 44. This work is expected to allow all residents, regardless of physical impairments, to enjoy what is known as one of its most scenic and peaceful places. The intent of the expansion project is to develop multipurpose recreation fields with limited vehicular access to Route 44. A temporary access onto Route 44 has already been opened.

Accessibility to the main town park and pool is very limited due to site conditions. There is a small stream that separates the town park from the new parkland. The town acquired the new 7.8 acres of parkland in 2006 and was assisted by generous donations from the community. The park currently consists of 29 acres including the newly purchased vacant land, formerly known as the Coddington property. The land is mostly open field sloping to the west, where it meets the developed portion of the park and a wetland and stream.

For the past three years the Town Board has been moving forward with the proposed expansion project for the town park. According to town officials, there has been a steady increase in the number of children participating in lacrosse and soccer programs, and space to run programs is running out. The new fields will be designed to meet this new demand.

According to town Recreation Director Warren McMillan, the project has been the top priority for the town, which has recognized that baseball is not as popular as it once was, and soccer and lacrosse have gained popularity.  Therefore, there is a great need for multipurpose fields to accommodate growth in those programs.

“We’ve been working on this for 15 years,� McMillan said, pointing out it has been the number one project since he has served on the Recreation Commission.

The town recently awarded the bid for construction of the new pedestrian bridge to Darlind Construction out of LaGrange in the amount of $114,000, with the grant covering most of the cost. According to Town Clerk Mary Alex, work on the new pedestrian bridge will begin this week.

“We’re all excited about it,� she said.