New park takes shape

Pathways will fit two abreast; fields in construction, By Jennifer Knocha Hamburg — Designs for the park in progress on Gingerbread Castle Road were tweaked this week to double the width of the walkway. Now walkers and bicyclists can pass each other with ease on the eight-foot wide path. The 23-acre property also includes soccer and baseball fields, now under construction, plus a concession building and bathrooms and the pathways, which haven’t been built yet. With construction of the fields expected to be finished by fall, the borough has pushed back its annual Hamburg Day festivities to celebrate the official opening for the park. More elbow room Originally, the design called for a four-foot-wide pathway. But the wider path will allow two-way foot and bicycle traffic. It also leaves more clearance for strollers and bicycles alike. And, it will provide easier access for emergency vehicles. Some members of the council were concerned that the wider paths might bring in too much bike traffic, but Councilman Daniel Barr said that in his observations at Wheatsworth Park in Hardyston, most of the bike traffic is young children with their parents. Making it easier for emergency vehicles to get where they have to go was one reason council members wanted to widen the path. Councilman Russell Law pointed out that fire, police and EMS members all asked for the expansion so their vehicles could have easier access to all areas of the park, making for a quicker response in a crisis. Since parts of the land are fairly damp, there’s a risk that an ambulance could get stuck if it had to drive on the grass. Costs The extra four feet for the entire pathway will add approximately $48,000 to the original cost of the path, bringing up the total cost to $124,000. However, according to Hamburg’s borough engineer, when the project grew, the contractor for the project lowered the per square foot price from $42 to $40 for the pathway. The total budget for the project is $500,000. The borough has spent $187,000, and according to Mayor Paul Marino, $313,000 still remains in the fund to complete it.

More to come
The path project is just one step in what has been a multi-year construction process for the borough.
Plans also include a baseball field, a soccer field, and a concession building with bathrooms.
The next part of the project to be built will be the 30- by-44-foot concession building. Designs for that will be presented at the council’s June 7 meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal meeting room at Municipal Building, 63 Wallkill Ave.