A Bigger Better Rec Park in Red Hook?
by Grace Welker

When the winter snow melts, Red Hook’s younger residents will have better access to the town Rec Park. “A new sidewalk now offers a safe passageway between the middle and high schools and the park, and ties them together more,” says Doug Strawinski, Recreation Commission Chair. The 35-year-old park, which has a pool, baseball fields, tennis courts, and pavilion, provides shared services for the town and the schools and is the sole home for all of Red Hook’s softball, baseball, and tennis leagues and intramurals—local soccer programs rent fields at Pitcher Lane. “We undertook a study in the mid-90’s that recommended expanding our recreational facilities,” says Strawinski, “and we’ve been making slow and steady progress ever since.”

Plans took a leap in 2008, when the town purchased a 27-acre parcel of land near the current park, with beautiful views of the Catskills and Hudson River to the west. In 2009, local engineering firm Weston & Sampson developed a concept for the expanded park and in 2010, initial clearing and environmental work was done, with many local contractors donating time and equipment. “In the best-case scenario, the expanded park will open in a basic way in 2012,” says John Kuhn, Park Facilities and Program Director, “Like most things, it all depends on funding. We’re looking at something like a million-dollar project, and money is tight right now.” Funding to date has come from the Town of Red Hook, which plans to apply for a Community Block Grant (CBG) again this year (last year’s CBG for the region went to upgrade Tivoli’s Memorial Field).

In addition to two new baseball fields—one for a senior league and one for softball/little league—the expanded park will include multiple soccer fields, great news for the local soccer programs, which serve more than 300 kids and are growing in popularity.