City gets $325K grant

Funds going to Waterfront Park development at Saratoga Lake

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city has obtained a $325,000 state grant to continue development of Waterfront Park at Saratoga Lake.

The money, from the state parks system, will be matched by an equal amount from the city for a total of $650,000.

The park, on a four-acre parcel, was opened to limited use this summer. The new funding will pay for the next phase of development.

“So far, we have opened up the lakeside portion and made significant road access, scenic and safety improvements,” Mayor Scott Johnson said. “Archaeological studies and demolition of structures have been completed. This grant will provide us with the necessary funding to keep this project moving forward.”

The park was formerly the Waterfront Restaurant on the northwest bank of Saratoga Lake with access on Crescent Avenue, across from Cassidy Drive.

The city purchased the property in 2006 with $ 2 million in open space bond money. Two years later, a committee presented a master plan for the park’s construction, which was delayed by the economic recession.

A 2010 state grant got the first phase off the ground. The park is the only city- owned access to the lake.

The next step will be determining how much of the park’s master plan can be implemented with new funding in the coming year.

At this point, residents can use the non-motorized boat launch, fish and enjoy the vista across the lake. Plans call for a small swimming area and building a pier where a private firm the city contracts with could take visitors out on boat rides.

In the 1800s, the lake was a popular destination for guests at the Spa City’s large downtown hotels, and major rowing regattas were held there.

Some of this history will be conveyed with informational kiosks and interpretive signs. The main parking lot will be on a flat upper level, with a handicap-accessible pedestrian path leading to the lakeside.

The former restaurant has been torn down. How- ever, an existing building on the top section will be renovated and house administrative office space and restrooms.

There is even potential for a type of amphitheater to be built into the side of the hill, but many future improvements are contingent on grant funding.

“We’re getting there,” Johnson said. “We’re doing one phase at a time.”