Wayne
County - July 20, 2011 - Wayne County has eleven public
county-run parks. Each one is uniquely different with a variety of
accommodations for visitors to enjoy, including pavilions, boat launches,
tables and playgrounds. Some pavilions are available to rent, which results in
revenue for the county. However, according to the County website, 2011 is
a rebuilding year for the Parks Department. There are a total of eight
pavilions that were identified, constructed as far back as the late 1970s, that
are currently not available for rental because they were demolished early this
year and are awaiting reconstruction. http://www.co.wayne.ny.us/departments/bldggnds/bldggnds.htm
The Wayne County Board of Supervisors recently approved the
bid for the reconstruction of these pavilions at the June Board meeting.
Fingerlakes Construction of Clyde, NY was the successful bidder at a total cost
of $100,200. The actual cost for demolition was not noted at the June meeting
but an additional $2,500 was approved for demolition debris disposal from six
pavilions that contained asbestos material.
The county parks see some 20,000 to 25,000 visitors
annually, but that estimate is based only on building reservations each year.
The true total is most likely much higher since some parks don’t have pavilions
to rent, nor do the majority of visitors actually rent a pavilion. Repeat park
visitors throughout the year could also account for a significant increase in
the true total. According to the County Park Dept, run by Building and Grounds
Director David Sloan, the reconstruction of the eight pavilions that were
demolished is expected to be complete by the end of this year.
Just recently, on March 15 of this year, the County Board
of Supervisors agreed to establish a “new” Parks Department and separate its
budget for the purposes of identifying Park revenue and expense exclusive of
Building and Grounds. The approved Parks Dept budget was just over $400,000
with estimated revenue on concession and rental fees at $14,500.
Another major park improvement project is awaiting approval
from the Board of Supervisors at the upcoming July 19 board meeting where the
Planning Department will ask to submit a grant application for shoreline
erosion control at B. Forman Park, one of the largest and most visited parks in
the county. A similar application was submitted in previous years but not
awarded. This year the total cost estimate was lowered to $575,000 with a
request for up to $200,000 from the grant.
The funding is categorized under the NYS Department of Parks
Recreation and Historic Preservation, Environmental Protection Fund. Wayne County
falls into the state-defined Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor, which makes
the park project eligible for funding through the corridor development program.
The state funding would help pay for construction of a stone revetment along
1200 feet of Lake
Ontario shoreline in the
park. Lake Ontario is the 14th largest lake in the
world, with a total shoreline of 712 miles.
The Erosion Control Project at B. Forman Park is considered
very important to the county because of the noticeable effects of erosion over
the years. Amy D’Angelo, Senior Planner for Wayne County,
has been in charge of gathering information and rewriting this grant
application for the past 3 years. “Grants are a points game,” she noted,
referring to the evaluation that each application gets by state reviewers. “We
decided to resubmit a stronger application.”
Thirty years ago, 300 feet at the far eastern corner of the
property (out of a total 1500-ft shoreline), was saved from the effects of waves
and wind by a stone revetment that has continued to protect the land from
falling into the water. The remaining unprotected 1200 feet of shoreline is now
encroaching on the playground, lawns and historic structures that make up the
25-acre park. “Every year we lose a couple feet,” D’Angelo noted.
The stone revetment design concept was copied from a West Port
Bay project a few years
back. Stone revetments are essentially piles of jagged stone or rip rap along
with drainage channels that are carefully constructed along the shore to absorb
the energy from the waves and to properly manage rain run off. There will be no
build out, according to D’Angelo, rather the erosion will be stopped where it’s
at and the now jagged shoreline will be smoothed out. Lakeshore erosion is an
ongoing issue for all property owners along the Canadian and American shore due
to high water levels and storm surge activity associated with high winds.
