New York’s Secretary State was in two Hudson Valley counties this afternoon as he toured Walkway Over the Hudson.
Secretary of State Cesar Perales visited Walkway Over the Hudson, starting in Poughkeepsie, on the Dutchess County side. His visit was to see how Department of State projects that are already funded are progressing, and hear about where more money is needed.
He saw the site of the Washington Street Plaza renovation project, below the bridge, where there will be signs and lighting letting visitors know they are just below the big pedestrian bridge they came to see. Other stops on the tour included the newly constructed East Pavilion, the waterfront elevator construction project; and the Stewards of the Walkway bronze donor medallions. From the bridge, Perales and others looked out onto Bob Shepard Park in the Town of Lloyd in Ulster County to discuss ideas for connecting the park to Walkway and expanding riverfront access. They also toured the west approach, talking about a proposed visitor center and the need for improved access to that side of the park.
Walkway officials and state legislators told Perales he would be impressed, and by the end of the tour, Perales agreed.
He says Walkway is part of a larger tourism picture.
Democratic Assemblyman Frank Skartados, whose district includes both sides of Walkway, says it meant a lot that Perales visited.
An effect, he says, that will bring and retain visitors to the region, and their spending dollars. The tour group included the executive director of Walkway over the Hudson Elizabeth Waldstein-Hart; New York State Bridge Authority Executive Director Joseph Ruggiero, Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik, and Democratic state Senator Terry Gipson, among others.
