Warren County has been awarded a $535,401 grant from the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act to rebuild two boat launch-pocket parks on the Schroon River, enabling the county-owned properties to withstand flooding and erosion while, at the same time, improving public access to an under-utilized recreational resource.
The award to the county’s Schroon River project was one of nineteen announced by Governor Kathy Hochul on September 26 as part of the state’s Climate Week.
“These projects will strengthen local infrastructure, restore natural protections and make neighborhoods more resilient in the face of climate change. By advancing these projects now, we are also building a safer, stronger and more sustainable future.” Governor Hochul said.
The grant’s “dual benefit” makes it especially noteworthy, said Warren County Planner Ethan Gaddy.
“It will enable us to address erosion and protect water quality while increasing the value of economic assets,” said Gaddy. “It will also reduce the county’s maintenance costs at these sites, which is an added benefit to the county’s taxpayers.”
One site is located on the river’s east bank, near the single-lane County Home bridge north of Warrensburg, the other on the west bank opposite the Horicon bridge south of Chestertown.
“I’m especially excited about this grant because it rewards the patience of the public and our elected officials; the planning process can take time and absorb the attention and the resources of the staff, but in the end, it pays off,” said Gaddy.
The Outdoor Recreation Economy
The projects align with the recommendations of Warren County’s “Outdoor Recreation Economy Strategic Plan,” completed earlier this year.
According to Gaddy, improving existing recreational infrastructure and expanding public access to waterbodies are among the report’s recommendations, and these improvements to the Schroon River boat launches accomplish both.
“These are key to our outdoor recreation economy,” said Gaddy, who added that he was encouraged by recent initiatives of the Warren County Tourism Department to promote outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the county.
In the Lake George region, outdoor recreation buttresses the tourism economy which, according to the most recent data available, generates $928 million per year in spending. In 2024, tourism supported 8,610 local jobs.
According to County Administrator John Taflan, the Outdoor Recreation Economy study found that what draws visitors – younger visitors especially – to Warren County is the opportunity for outdoor recreation.
“We’re not offering those opportunities as much as we could or publicizing them as well as we should,” Taflan told the Lake George Mirror earlier this year.
“The Outdoor Recreation Economy Strategic Plan,” which took sixteen months to complete, suggests that the economic impacts of outdoor recreation in the Lake George region could not only be even greater than they now are but could, perhaps, reverse certain negative trends, such as the depopulation of up-county communities and the loss of their school aged children.
“Fortunately, Warren County is well positioned to leverage outdoor recreation for the benefit of its communities and its economy,” said Sarah Brugger, Warren County’s Principal Planner.
The Warren County Fish Hatchery, for instance, plays an important role in maintaining the fish populations that attract anglers to the Schroon River and other water bodies, says Dean Moore, Warren County’s Director of Parks and Recreation.
Fishing alone may be responsible, directly or indirectly, for as many as 150 to 250 jobs in Warren County, said Ethan Gaddy,
According to Sarah Brugger, the Strategic Plan was crafted, at least in part, to help Warren County officials identify gaps in the recreational sector’s infrastructure and any opportunities that may exist be to expand and improve it.
By taking greater advantage of its recreational assets, Warren County can promote “broader goals – the quality of life for residents, the attraction and retention of businesses and jobs, as well as the generation of higher tax revenues,” a consultant retained to compile the study told a committee of Supervisors earlier this year.
The consultant noted that at least some of the county’s existing recreational infrastructure, which includes trailheads, boat launches and hiking trails, was in poor condition or, in some cases, sparse.
Upgrades Planned
The two launches on the Schroon River were candidates for upgrades because they were never properly designed in the first place, were vectors for stormwater and were being overrun by invasive plants, said Gaddy.
“In addition to restored boat launches, you’ll see pedestrian enhancements, vehicle access, shoreline stabilization, new vegetation, rain gardens, picnic areas and way-finding kiosks,” said Gaddy.
Way-finding kiosks are especially important because they enable visitors to connect one recreational opportunity with others which they may be unaware of, said Gaddy. The static way-finding maps and information will be coupled with advanced digital technologies in the process of being developed by the Warren County Planning Department, he added.
The $535,401 grant requires a 10% local match, said Gaddy.
