Thursday, April 25, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
By ANDY GARDNER MASSENA -- The New York Power Authority anticipates opening a $7.6 million nature center at Robert Moses State Park in the spring. It will be in the same spot as the old center, which …
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By ANDY GARDNER
MASSENA -- The New York Power Authority anticipates opening a $7.6 million nature center at Robert Moses State Park in the spring.
It will be in the same spot as the old center, which was destroyed in 2010 by an accidental fire.
“Construction is largely complete. We expect the center to open in early spring,” NYPA spokesman Steven Gosset said.
The 9,400-square-foot, single-story building will include exhibit space, reflecting the four major habitats found within the park—wetland/marsh, river, woodlands and meadows as well as classrooms. It will also include office space for the Friends of Robert Moses State Park Nature Center, which will run the center, and serve as a trail send-out station and equipment rental depot, NYPA said.
The facility will be constructed with green-building design features to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. They include geothermal heat pumps for cooling and heating, outside air intake and heat recovery, a rainwater reclamation system, outside rain gardens, efficiency lighting systems and sustainable material selection to enhance indoor environmental quality, according to NYPA.
Friends of the Robert Moses Nature Center may return to offer NYPA-sponsored programming at the new center, Gosset said.
“We are in talks with the Friends regarding the day-to-day management of the new nature center. Those discussions are ongoing,” he said. “We have funded the center in temporary locations since the fire. NYPA felt rebuilding the center was important to support both the recreation and educational facilities near our St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project.”
“I’m very happy to welcome this great new facility to our community,” Eugene L. Nicandri, a NYPA trustee and Massena resident, said in a prepared statement. “The story of this building rising from the ashes is a testament to how important this facility is to our community and to the dedication of a committed group of citizens who worked with the Power Authority to make this project happen.”
