BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM — Letters of support for enhancements at the Unionville playground and Postwood Park have been approved by the town board as part of the process of securing grant funding for work in both recreation areas.

The measures were passed when the board met Tuesday, July 9.

The board authorized Town Supervisor Marty Miller to issue a letter of support for both the Unionville Park Project and the Postwood Park Project.

The board also resolved that it would sign the first part of an environmental assessment form for the Postwood Park Project as part of a state Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) for the project.

Several improvements have been recommended for the park and playground in the hamlet of Unionville, north of the village of Potsdam, to benefit the children living in that area.

The Unionville letter of support states that the improvements are a priority for the town.

Similarly, the committee has made several recommendations for further improvements at Postwood Park at 63 Postwood Road in Pierrepont.

The Town of Potsdam owns the 30-acre park in the community of Hannawa Falls in the town of Pierrepont and has traditionally hosted the town’s summer recreation program there. The town took over management of the program from the village of Potsdam in the summer of 2021 and in addition to expanding the summer recreation programming has made several improvements there. New beach sand, custom mural paintings, and improvements to the bathhouse and concessions area in 2023 are a few of those rennovations. Town officials have discussed expanding the park at Postwood with a trail system and other park features.

The town has hired GYMO Architecture, Engineering & Land Surveying, DPC (GYMO) of Watertown to develop a site plan for Postwood and to seek grants for further enhancements in Unionville and at the beach in Hannawa Falls.

Miller explained that the letters of support are a step towards GYMO securing that funding.

“This is the process that has to take place for us to be able to move forward,” Miller said.

“It’s just a process. And for the next couple meetings we are going to be going on with resolutions, SEQRS… there is just a lot of stuff going on. There’s a lot of moving parts, but Matthew (J. Cervini, PE, GYMO Principal Managing Engineer) is going to be walking us through it,” Miller said.

“This demonstrates that the board is making these projects a priority. That they are committed to the project,” Cervini said.

Cervini said that Miller had met with GYMO representatives and with officials from the state Office of Parks and Recreation on a site plan for Postwood.

“This is one of the requirements of the grant submission, that it has community support,” Cervini said.

He added that because Postwood is located in the town of Pierrepont, that town board would also be asked to back letters of support.