State Provides $300,000 Grant for Rivers and Estuaries Center

A $300,000 grant was awarded to the City of Beacon to prepare a harbor management plan and study of locations and docking designs in connection with the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson project. Last week, the governor and a host of state and City of Beacon officials were on hand for the grand opening of a temporary headquarters for the planned Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson River. The headquarters, located on Main St. in the City of Beacon, will serve as the project office for the center while permanent facilities are designed and later constructed at Denning's Point and the Beacon waterfront, state officials say.

"Our state's waterfront areas have historically been the centerpieces of local communities, and the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson will build upon the rich history of the Hudson River and help to define the future of the Hudson Valley," Governor George E. Pataki says. He adds that state officials been working closely with the City of Beacon and other partners to create a world-class research and educational center that will help us protect the Hudson River and rivers around the world, and today we take another step toward achieving this historic goal."

Pataki proposed the development of a Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson in his 2000 State of the State Address, and last April announced the selection of Beacon as the future home of the facility. The center, which will be located on state-owned property at Denning's Point, will be dedicated to advancing the understanding of rivers, estuaries and watersheds that will help guide policies for conservation and management of these natural systems, state officials said. In addition, the Rivers and Estuaries Center will feature educational programs such as seminars, lectures and forums for teachers, students, citizen scientists and the general public.

State officials note that more than $30 million has been committed to the center, including $10 million from the New York Power Authority, $5 million from the Dyson Foundation and $750,000 from Dutchess County. No firm start date on construction of the facility has been set; however, officials involved with the project have stated the center should be in operation by sometime in 2006.