$500K project continues through fall
Construction begins this month on improvements at West Point Foundry Preserve in Cold Spring.
An overlook will be created on a 3.26-acre bluff, part of a 13-acre parcel Scenic Hudson purchased in 2009 that was home to William Kemble, co-founder of the Foundry. His home and 9.42 acres of the site will be sold. The overlook will offer views of Foundry Cove, Constitution Island, West Point and parts of the Hudson Highlands.
In addition, a steel staircase will be installed to ascend the bluff from the marsh trail that leads into the preserve from the Metro-North Station. Five oversized landings in the staircase will accommodate benches and panels that explain the history of the Kemble property and its connections to the Foundry. The overlook will include a 15-by-32-foot wooden deck.
The park and its 1.5 miles of trails are open during construction. The $520,000 project is being completed by Transitional Builders of Staatsburg under the direction of Heather Blaikie, Scenic Hudson’s park planner. The nonprofit has so far invested $8 million in the preserve.
