The recent State of New York budget and subsequent future fiscal projections have made Parks and Recreation a high-profile priority. FY2023 committed over $200 million to the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation for capital improvements statewide (a funding increase of nearly 100 percent over the prior year), and the three-year projection for 3 parks in the Hudson Valley alone exceeds $250 million.
Tectonic is teamed with Starr Whitehouse on the complete renovation of 1 of these parks, Bear Mountain State Park in the vicinity of its principal campus surrounding and south of Hessian Lake. Located on the west bank of the Hudson River in Bear Mountain, NY (approximately 40 miles north of New York City) Bear Mountain State Park is one of the most visited state parks in NY. The park was established in 1910 and has run continuously for more than a century. Today, Bear Mountain receives approximately 2 million annual visitors. The $86 million project will modernize the facility by improving entering vehicular traffic flow, adding parking facilities, reimagining the main picnic area, adding a destination playground, upgrading the path around Hessian Lake, daylighting a piped watercourse, providing shade structures, improving pedestrian circulation throughout, adding 1 new comfort station while reconstructing 3 others, 2 bridges, major repairs and improvements to the ice rink, utility upgrades, and a gateway arch for drivers entering the park. All proposed improvements are subject to detailed consultation and concurrence for historic preservation at the listed property. The project will be advanced in 3 phases with at least 3 construction contracts to minimize impact to park patrons and keep the facility open during the program.
Tectonic is providing topographic surveys, utility location, CCTV of existing infrastructure, hazardous materials testing and management, subsurface investigations for new structures (vehicular bridges, comfort station, shade
structures) and green infrastructure, stormwater management and stream daylighting design, and structural engineering design of new building and exterior elements.