Croghan park is good to go

CROGHAN — Work on the village's six-year-old riverside park is complete, thanks to plenty of outside assistance and funding.

"A lot of people don't know about it," said Glen A. Gagnier, a former village mayor and unofficial park project coordinator. "It's kind of one of those hidden treasures."

Owing to outside support, the cost to village taxpayers has been minimal, Mr. Gagnier said.

The Bridge Street Park was established in 2004 on 3.6 acres on the east side of Beaver River just north of the Bridge Street bridge.

Beaverite Products Inc. in December 2003 sold 2.1 acres of land to the village for $1,500, while the other 1.5 acres served as the village dump from 1924 to 1956.

Despite an extensive cleanup effort over the years, some pieces of glass and other dump remnants still may be found in some areas, so footwear is required. Swimming or wading is prohibited, but the park does offer seven separate picnic areas, a boat launch and access for fishing.

The project has been funded partially by $20,750 from the Beaver River Advisory Council since 2007.

A portion of the money was spent on picnic tables that were constructed at the nearby Croghan Island Mill Lumber Co. Grill stations also were installed throughout the park, and a stairwell was constructed last year to better connect upper and lower parts of the site.

The site was cleared initially with assistance from youths employed through a Lewis County One-Stop Employment Center summer program.

The boat launch was installed by the state Department of Transportation in conjunction with its bridge replacement project on Route 812 just north of the village, and DOT crews also moved a considerable amount of fill, Mr. Gagnier said.

Beaverite also donated the park kiosk, Rhema Fellowship in Lowville provided volunteer labor to prepare the park for hydroseeding and the Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District did the hydroseeding at no cost.