Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer wants the feds to help the Hudson Valley.

Schumer banded together with Dutchess County and Poughkeepsie leaders Monday afternoon to call for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to expedite the review and approval process to allow for a new dock to be built on the Hudson River at Quiet Cove Riverfront Park just north of Marist College.

The 32 acre park, which includes 5 acres of shoreline west of the railroad tracks was originally owned by the Hudson River Psychiatric Center. When the hospital shuttered, Dutchess County encouraged NYS to retain the property and a cooperative arrangement was made for Dutchess County to make improvements to the parcel. Several improvements to the park have been made including the development of a shoreline and the construction of an observation dock. Plans were made to construct a second dock and funding for the project was approved in 2014. A permit for construction was obtained from the USACE but project issues arose and the dock never materialized. The permit from the feds expired in 2015.

Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro informed Senator Schumer that a new permit had been applied for and the Minority Leader has stepped in to encourage the USACE to remove the red tape and and get the permit approved citing the necessity for the project. In a letter to the ACE Acting Secretary Doug Lamont, Schumer advised that "this project, which will add a second parallel observation dock on the Hudson River, will complete a series of recent renovations to the park and have meaningful impact on both Dutchess County outdoor recreation and tourism alike. It is my hope that that the Army Corps of Engineers will swiftly issue the permit in response to the application submitted by Dutchess County so that the project may proceed to implementation and become an asset to Dutchess County residents and tourists".

Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro was on hand to welcome the Minority Leader to Quiet Cove and was quoted as saying "Dutchess County's parks are a particular source of pride, and I thank Senator Schumer for identifying the beauty of Quiet Cover Riverfront Park and for his support of this new recreational dock. By calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the permit process, he recognizes the value of this project and its benefit to Dutchess County residents."

The park, according to Molinaro, welcomes between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors a year and that number will certainly increase when the project is completed.

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