The community driven campaign “Newburgh Wants A Park” is seeking to recognize and convert Crystal Lake into a fully usable city park. Crystal Lake, located in Ward 3 of the City of Newburgh along Temple Avenue, welcomed and hosted community members and environmental advocates on Thursday, July 13 as part of the ongoing conversation of the campaign.

The Crystal Lake area, a reported 110-acre natural space, features the lake, The Sanctuary Healing Gardens, a community garden space and several walking trails. Community members also spend time at the lake for fishing. The lake also serves as an access point to the greater Quassaick Creek which is also seeking community support for its conversion into a greater community trail and natural space as part of the “Quassaick Creek Greenway” initiative.

Anusha Mehar, Co-Director of the Sanctuary, welcomed visitors and provided a walking tour of the lake. Mehar, along with colleague Katie Collins, were responsible for the creation of the Sanctuary in 2020.The lake area itself was once utilized as a city recreational area for swimming and boating, but as years passed, the lake became a dumping ground for random debris, and vegetation overgrew.

The Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance, according to Mehar, led in the cleanup efforts about a decade ago. “It was recreational for people in the City of Newburgh, and then it went into decades of degradation. The garbage was abundant, and it was evident that it really has not been cared for,” said Mehar. “It [Crystal Lake] deserves to be put on the map and protected.”

The land today now welcomes all to participate in various community programs and environmental initiatives. The Newburgh City Council, as Mehar spoke, have expressed support in making this area a park. If the park were to become a reality it would join the list of parks in the city such as Downing Park, Xavier Lunan, Audrey Carey, Tyrone Crabb, Masterson Park at Lake Washington, Delano-Hitch Park and Unico Park along the Newburgh Waterfront as places for recreation and natural appreciation.

A farmer and advocate for the project, Jason Angell would like to see the area at Crystal Lake become spaces for public gardens and for more youth in the city to become farmers. Angell also serves as the co-director of the Ecological Citizens Project in Garrison. “I think it’s a matter of equity in terms of who has access to nature and green spaces and recreational spaces. I would say that we live in a privatized society. Anytime you have a chance to create a space for people, for the public, where you can go without spending money, where you can go without being watched or judged, that’s an important opportunity,” said Angell.

As the afternoon continued, members of the community that included Councilman Bob Sklarz, Kathy Lawrence from the Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy, Environment Justice Fellows Eileen Corrales and Emily Alta, Ronald Zorrilla of Outdoor Promise and Gita Nandan of Thread Collective shared food and thoughts with one another and visitors about the park initiative.

It was during freshman year of high school at Newburgh Free Academy where Carlos Manuel Alicea Jr and Marley Bremmer Orane St.Patrick first met each other and became fast friends. Now both 17 and heading into their senior year of high school, both men are current stewards and farmers of the Sanctuary at Crystal Lake. They both equally would like to see Crystal Lake transformed into a safe natural haven for the community.

“The City of Newburgh mostly is an urban area and I think people deserve a safe place more like a relaxing haven of just natural beauty itself,” said St. Patrick. “I would love to see the lake be like, what we used to be with people just like swimming in it, or kayaking, or even licensing fishing.”

Both stewards have had their fair share of getting their hands dirty and taking care of the natural environment at the lake. Though only in high school, they equally understand the importance of the park and want to share their knowledge and experiences with other community members. While many people their age are out doing other activities, both teens saw the Sanctuary as a place to grow as friends and individuals.

“I say we need more, more natural, beautiful areas. I’m also glad that we’re here because we have so many people over here just maintaining the land, keeping it well organized, and just in general, keeping it clean,” said Alicea Jr. “My vision really, for the park is for it to thrive.”

Information for the general public can be found on the www.newburghwantsapark.org/ website. A community petition to raise more awareness on the mission of the park can be found at the link: www.change.org/p/protect-the-city-of-newburgh-s-crystal-lake-as-a-public-park. A community input dinner is set to take place on August 5 at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.