Mid Hudson Times Mar. 01 2017 | Page 3

Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , March 1 , 2017 3

Skate park design planned for spring

By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com
A design is underway for the City of Newburgh Skate Park , planned for construction at the northwest corner of Delano-Hitch Park . A new design is anticipated to be completed sometime in the spring .
Approved in 2013 , the skate park project has faced repeated delays due to financing . City officials now say construction is expected to be completed sometime by the end of the year . “ Our goal is that we can build phase one with the current budget ,” said project lead designer Micah Shapiro
of Grindline Skateparks .
The $ 300,000 project budget is made up of a combination of Community Development Block Grant ( CDBG ) funds and a grant from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York . It will go to pay for a skate park featuring ramps , ledges , rails , stairs and banks , which Shapiro described as smooth , slanted surfaces .
Shapiro participated in a phone conference with skaters and city officials at City Hall last month . The dozen or so skaters at the meeting said it was fine with them that the project had been scaled back from a previous , more expensive design . “ We just want it to get built ,” said
skater Treasure Jackson .
The skate park will be built next to the City of Newburgh Activity Center , replacing an area of horse-shoe pits .
The skate park was championed in 2013 by a group of Newburgh youth , skating on a paved area behind Dunkin ’ Donuts on Broadway and Wisner Avenue . The makeshift skate park was eventually closed off by the property owner .
In 2015 , the city received a bid for the project that came in at more than $ 600,000 for the first phase . That design was eventually abandoned due to lack of funding .
A second phase of the current design
would allow the city to expand the skate park when additional funds are available , said Shapiro . The second design includes additional skating space , fencing and landscaping , he said .
Shapiro estimated scaling up to the next phase of design would cost an additional $ 150,00 to $ 200,000 . Once the design is complete , the project will be put out to bid for construction , he said .
Grindline has built and designed more than 200 skate parks , including parks in Yonkers , New Milford , Connecticut and McCarren Park in Brooklyn .

Town of Newburgh wants to lower Forest Rd . speed limit

By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com
The Town of Newburgh is asking the New York State Department of Transportation to allow the county to reduce the speed limit on County Route 23 , better known as Forest Road .
The Newburgh Town Council passed a resolution at a regular meeting last month to request the state allow Orange County to reduce the speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour .
The intersection at Forest Road and Rt . 300 was busy on Monday afternoon . A large tractor trailer made a wide turn as it headed east onto Route 300 , almost hitting a small car that was waiting at the light .
Forest Road , which connects the towns of Newburgh and Plattekill , will be getting busier over the summer . “ They ’ re going to be shutting down the bridge on Route 32 ,” said town Police Chief Bruce Campbell , referring to the Route 32 bridge crossing Thruway 87 in the Town of Plattekill in Ulster County . “ They ’ re diverting traffic down Forest Road .”
The state will close a portion of Route 32 during bridge construction , planned for June . Traffic will be diverted south along Forest Road . “ First , the county needs to approve it ,” Zarutskie said , as Forest Road is a county road . “ Then the state has to give its okay .”
Zarutskie noted the speed limit was already 45 miles per hour along the portion of the road located in Plattekill . “ The speed limit in Ulster County is lower ,” he said . “ We can ’ t imagine why they would object to lowering it in Orange .”
Zarutskie said the town had serious concerns about the additional truck traffic expected due to the bridge closure . “ This is something that ’ s been talked about for years ,” said town Clerk Andrew Zarutskie , recalling more than one fatal accident at the intersection of Rt . 300 and Forest Road in the 2000s .
The Town of Newburgh is requesting the state allow Orange County to lower the Forest Road speed limit to 45 miles per hour .