KEESEVILLE — The Keeseville Waterfront Park was officially opened with a blue-ribbon cutting amid bubbles from the wands of Keeseville Elementary Second graders.
“This project transforms an abandoned industrial site located on the banks of our beautiful Ausable River into an accessible park with commanding views of the river from above, and it serves our mission to promote better public understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of the unique and diverse architectural heritage of the Adirondacks,” Erin Tobin, executive director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage, said.
“This park showcases Keeseville’s history calling attention to our hamlet’s industrial heritage through interpretive signage at the overlook above and from which you can see so much of Keeseville’s National Register Historic District.”
New York state provided more than $375,000 in grants, over half of the total project cost, which was supported by Assemblyman D. Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay), who was represented at the event by Chief-of-Staff Connie Mandeville.
Tobin noted that the Town of Ausable became the proud new owner of the public space for the sum of $1 in May, and that the park was the brainchild of her predecessor Steven Engelhart. After his 2021 retirement, Andy Prescott, now AARCH vice president, oversaw the project.
“Look at this concrete wall, going here, coming across, all the way down there, that’s where the Red Mill was,” Prescott said.
“Almost everybody here remembers that, and that mill was filled with a lot of storage items and also was pretty unsightly at that point in time. So, we knew that that building needed to come down if this area was ever really going to be developed.”
AARCH proposed a partnership in 2015 when monies became available from the state for waterfront parks in the Adirondack region. The agency applied for grants, managed the design and construction.
“The Town agreed that it would be handed over to them to operate as a park, and that’s, of course, exactly what happened,” Prescott said.
The Red Mill was an obstacle; its acquisition, demolition, and funding.
“The issue with the Red Mill, it wasn’t just knocking down a building, but that building contained 30,000 square feet of asbestos plus two underground storage tanks, oil tanks, right where we’re standing now,” Prescott said.
“So all of that environmental mess had to be safely removed, legally removed, and that cost $200,000 just to get the building, that we’re now standing in the foundation of or underneath of it that used to be here, off of this site.”
In 2017, a landscape architectural firm was brought onboard, and the design was paused during the COVID years, and resumed in 2022. Landscaping was put out to bid in 2023, and won by Fuller Excavation of Keeseville.
“Here we are today with a completed park, which is really exciting, at an expense of over $700,000 for the completion of the park,” Prescott said.
The “big hole” will be addressed by New York Forward funding.
“Andy alluded to the hole in the ground,” Town of Ausable Supervisor Tim Bresett said.
“So, we have a hole right here, and for those that don’t know, Ausable and Chesterfield were just awarded New York Forward monies, $4.5 million, just about a month or so ago. It’s been a big effort. That effort was going on for about a year and a half. Some of those monies will be used for municipal endeavors. Some will be used for residential projects, and some with like business facades downtown, revitalization, and those type of things.”
Bresett and his board have proposed that an observation deck be built over the hole after engineering assessments.
“Just imagine standing on this deck, you know, beautified, some flower pots, some benches, whatever, maybe a gazebo,” he said.
“I don’t know the full plans yet, but enjoying the view of the river from that deck. Imagine the events that could happen here, all the public engagement things. It’s just a great place, right in the heart of Keeseville.”
COLLABORATOR REVIEWS
Adirondack Foundation development officer Nikki Hilchey was excited to see the community investment come to fruition.
“Adirondack Foundation has been a grant partner for AARCH and for building the park, and we’re super excited because community is at the heart of everything we do,” Hilchey said. “We are the community foundation for the region. and being able to bring kids and adults together in this historic place is just a great investment in the community of Keeseville, which is two towns together.”
Cloudsplitter Foundation grants advisor Kara Page was similarly enthused to see years of work come together.
“We helped this project both by coaching AARCH on their grants process and also helping them with cash grants,” Page said. “It’s really wonderful for them to have initiated something this important, both for beauty, but also for the history of the community, which makes a lot of sense. AARCH does great work, and the town is, obviously, going to support that all the way. So Cloudsplitter is very committed to the Adirondacks and the flora and fauna of the region and supporting communities.”
Anderson Falls Heritage Society president Garth Houde was happy to see the integration of history into the project.
“One of our main goals is to help educate people about our local history,” Houde said. “We were very glad to have been able to assist with the development of the interpretive panels that are over on the lookout point over there. I think they turned out very well, so I think people who read them are going to be able learn something about how cool this area is and how historic. They (panels) are very visually appealing, very interesting, and very informative.”
Lake Champlain Basin Program cultural heritage and recreation coordinator Jim Branagan was grateful to have been a part of the endeavor.
“AARCH and Andy Prescott approached us to develop some interpretive signs for the new Waterfront Park here,” Branagan said. “I have to say that Andy in particular did a phenomenal job with his research and presentation. He was very cooperative in making these interpretive exhibits. We have about 400 of them in the Champlain Valley now. We started the program about the year 2000, and it’s just been a tremendous success. I’m so happy to be part of this event and to see the community out and supporting their recreation and cultural heritage.”