Watkins Glen hires LaBella for Clute plan

Watkins Glen hires LaBella for Clute plan

WATKINS GLEN--The Watkins Glen village board voted Tuesday, March 1 to contract with LaBella Associates for the engineering and layout work at Clute Park. The agreement is for $22,100 to plan an additional 20-25 campground spaces. Long under discussion, after the meeting, Mayor Luke Leszyk said even more campground spaces could be on the horizon.
"We are thinking it could be roughly 40 (additional spaces) but that is entirely going to be based upon what Cargill is doing in the park right now," said Leszyk.
According to Craig Bond, Parks and Event Center Manager, the work LaBella has just been hired to perform for the 20 or so additional spaces is phase one of the project.
"We were putting forward the first of three phases for campground expansion," said Bond. "The only one we are focusing on for right now is on our existing footprint, which is 25 of an overall 60."
While 25 are planned for the current expansion, Bond said he expects current well work by Cargill will force the removal of four to five of those planned spaces.
"The other two phases are down the road a couple of years," said Bond. "The stars need to really align and there is a lot of stuff we have to do first."
When looking at the existing property, Bond said it became apparent the park could add up to 60 additional campground spots, but before that can be considered many factors must be analyzed.
"We want to make sure the Community Center stays intact and that all the campground sites aren't overly (cramped) and it depends on what the electric can hold or what sewer lines we can tap into. So you have to look at it from a lot of different perspectives," Bond commented.
Key to hiring LaBella was the fact that the original designer of the campground spots at the park will be part of the team working on developing the new spots.
With all the possibility for expansion, Bond said it will be key to always remember not to encroach on what makes Clute special in the first place.
"What we are trying to do is be mindful and very intentional with the buildout so it doesn't feel crowded in the campground; so maybe we can use some of that revenue to offset future improvements," Bond added. "There is a plan to improve our boat launch area and add additional playground equipment, so you have to expand a bit to make improvements."
Also during the meeting, the board approved Dumpster Day to take place on Saturday, May 7 from 8 a.m. to noon at the shared services facility on Decatur Street.
"This gives people the opportunity to get rid of things so they aren't a nuisance or danger to anyone else," added Leszyk.