Plattekill’s park plan

By Stacia Donaldson
Posted 5/22/19

The Plattekill town hall was filled with residents interested in hearing more about a proposed Thomas Felton Project during the the May 15 Plattekill Town Board meeting.

Dwight Dougherty gave a …

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Plattekill’s park plan

Posted

The Plattekill town hall was filled with residents interested in hearing more about a proposed Thomas Felton Project during the the May 15 Plattekill Town Board meeting.

Dwight Dougherty gave a short presentation, engaging the audience with the seemingly endless possibilities for Thomas Felton Park.

Currently, the park, which serves as the recreational center of the Town of Plattekill, includes 20 developed acres, on which a pavilion, softball fields, soccer fields, a playground, a scout camping area and the Veterans park are located. However, the Town also owns 75 acres of undeveloped land around the current park. After a initial presentation by Dougherty and his wife Laura to the Town Board last spring, the Park Expansion Committee was established to engage the people of Plattekill, and develop a master plan for future park development. Now in its infancy, the Park Expansion Committee’s main goal is to reach as many residents as possible, and gather ideas about projects to include in the expansion.

From a community center to a bandstand, Dougherty used pictures from parks in neighboring towns as examples of what Thomas Felton Park could become. While the final plans would come directly from the residents of Plattekill, the committee put forth some ideas, including a dog park, community gardens, and hiking and snowshoeing trails. With expansion, the park would also need more seating and parking areas, along with security lights, cameras and restrooms. In the future, any park expansion projects would directly benefit the community, creating jobs while promoting economic development. The town could also see an increase in property values.


At this early point, the Thomas Felton Park Project’s main objective is to gather as many ideas as possible from the residents of Plattekill. With public input, the committee can start mapping out a direction for the future expansion. While the committee will host short presentations like the one given at the Town Board meeting in the future, the committee urges all Plattekill residents to check out their Facebook page and like it.

While there, click on the link to take a short 3-4 minute survey. For those residents who do not have internet access, paper versions of the survey are available at the Plattekill Town Hall. Completed paper surveys should be placed in the Thomas Felton Park Project Mailbox. For direct access to the online survey, visit .surveymonkey.com/r/CTY9QJW.

Upcoming Events
Final preparations are being made for the Plattekill Memorial Day Parade, to be held on May 25, 2019.

The parade will line up at the Plattekill Town Hall, and will follow Route 32 South, ending at the Veterans Park. Sis Morse, the chair of the Plattekill Veterans Committee, shared with Board members that a bus will be available after the parade to take marchers back to Town Hall where their cars will be parked. This bus is being provided by the generosity of County Legislator Kevin A. Roberts.

The Plattekill Police Department will host the 7th annual Bruce Loertscher Scholarship Fundraiser Pig Roast on Sunday June 23. The event will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Thomas Felton Park. Tickets are available by calling the Plattekill Police Department or the Town Hall Clerk. Donation amount is $20 per person.

There are still five seats available for the Senior Luncheon at Casa Milanese on Sunday May 26 at 12 p.m. To RSVP, please leave a voicemail at 845-883-7331 ext. 14.

The next Plattekill Town Board Meeting will be held on June 5, at 7 p.m. in the Plattekill Town Hall.