The New York Power Authority has begun work on approximately $4 million worth of recreation improvements at Mine Kill State Park.
The work is tied to the 2019 relicensing of NYPA’s Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project (B-G).
Mine Kill State Park is located on the grounds of the B-G project and managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
“The Power Authority is eager to begin work on these recreation improvements,” said Brian Saez, NYPA Central New York regional manager.
 “Unlike any other year, this year really put the ‘great’ in the phrase the ‘Great Outdoors’ and NYPA and its employees – who live and work in the surrounding communities – share the anticipation that local residents and park enthusiasts feel at seeing these outdoor improvements come to fruition.”
The planned work at the 500-acre park will include:
_ Rehabilitation of the boat launch with built-in storage for rental boats and space for the public to store canoes and kayaks.
_ Rehabilitation of the pool and associated structures.
_ Trail improvements, including repaving and updating signage.
_ Construction of new facilities including a picnic pavilion, restroom, soccer field and two new playgrounds catering to different ages.
The B-G project’s new license spells out commitments by the Power Authority for improvements within B-G’s 2,900-acre project boundary that were developed in consultation with local stakeholders, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, DEC, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The Power Authority plans to begin design work on the planned recreation improvements this year and will work on implementation in 2021.
NYPA developed Mine Kill State Park in the early 1970s, under its federal operating license for the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project.
With almost 85,000 visitors annually, Mine Kill State Park currently has basketball courts and playing fields, 6.5 miles of trails and an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool.
Among Mine Kill’s varied features are boating and fishing opportunities in the lower reservoir which is stocked each year by the Power Authority.
The park is also open in the winter for snowshoeing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice skating on a man-made rink.
Recent improvements to Mine Kill State Park funded by NYPA include stepping stones across the Mine Kill Creek, new interpretive signs, and a footbridge across a tributary of the Mine Kill, built by volunteers from the Long Path North Club.