Senator Michelle Hinchey has secured a $200,000 state grant for the Town of Lloyd to complete the final phase of construction on the Assemblyman Frank Skartados Education Building, a center for environmental and historical education and a public community space located at Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park. The funding is being used to complete sheetrock installation, electrical work, and building out community bathrooms, among other capital needs.
Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park, a former oil tank storage facility, has been revitalized in recent years into a local destination for outdoor recreation on the Hudson River. The site features over an acre of open space dotted by picnic tables, a boat launch, and docking to accept heritage vessels and tourism ships, as well as connections to the Walkway Loop Trail. Educational programming has already been underway, with local science teachers bringing students to conduct experiments and learn about the Hudson River.
“The Town of Lloyd has lovingly transformed an abandoned industrial area into a major community resource, providing riverfront recreation along the Hudson to residents and visitors alike, and I am incredibly proud to deliver funding that will help complete its revitalization,” Hinchey said. “The new on-site education building that our grant is supporting will bring more residents and students to Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park and open up a whole new set of community uses for this beautiful waterfront resource. I’m honored to be part of this effort, and I thank the Town of Lloyd and all of the local volunteers who turned the potential of this unused site into a treasured green space.”
Lloyd Town Supervisor David Plavchak said, “The Town of Lloyd thanks Senator Hinchey for obtaining this grant to upgrade the educational facility at Shepard’s Landing. Adding bathrooms and enhancing the interior will make it more inviting for visitors to explore the Landing and learn about the Hudson River activities while enjoying the breathtaking views. Our town is proud of turning this brownfield which was an abandoned oil storage facility into a beautiful park for our residents. The enhancement of the educational building is a step towards completion and we also thank all of the volunteers who have made this happen.”