The Community Foundation of Saugerties was awarded a $605,000 state grant for an environmentally friendly, accessible splash pad at Cantine Field, advancing a long-running effort to expand free recreation in town.
The grant, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, will help pay for a splash pad planned next to the kiddie pool at Cantine Field. The project is intended to create a water-play area that can be used by children, older residents, and people with disabilities.
“Thank God that the grant came through,” Saugerties Town Board member Leanne Thornton said. “I was ecstatic. It was like getting the phone call that my first grandchild had been born. We’ve worked so hard on this and you kind of wonder, ‘would we ever be able to do this?’”
A splash pad is a recreational water-play area for children, with sprinklers that spray across the flat surface of the pad. Splash pads give children a safe way to cool off in the summer; unlike pools, they do not require a lifeguard.
The foundation initially had a fundraising goal of $400,000 and had raised more than $80,000 through various fundraising events. A food truck fundraiser scheduled for Friday at Cantine Field was originally intended to support the splash pad. The money raised from the event will now go toward a wheelchair-accessible path to the splash pad and other parks and recreation needs in Saugerties.
“The main goal was to do something that everyone could enjoy and to keep it free and open to the public,” Community Foundation of Saugerties Chair Marjorie Block said. “We want to do it in a way that’s responsible for the environment, so we’re hoping to have a water system that will be recyclable.”
The splash pad project has received support from several community partners, including $10,000 from Central Hudson and $5,000 from Sawyer Motors.
“There’s a lot of families that cannot afford recreation today,” Block said. “And it’s not just young children. There’s a lot of seniors that can’t afford that either.”
“It’s been so heartwarming to see the community really get behind this,” Thornton said. “There’s been so many emails and phone calls congratulating us. It’s great to see something so positive that’s going to affect an entire community.”
Eva Fulmer is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach her at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
