OSWEGO, N.Y. — Construction is underway on a project to protect Camp Hollis in the town of Oswego from future flooding and high-water events. Camp Hollis is a summer camp for children, providing recreational opportunities for more than 2,000 at-risk youth per year, as well as the location for private events, the New York State […]
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OSWEGO, N.Y. — Construction is underway on a project to protect Camp Hollis in the town of Oswego from future flooding and high-water events.
Camp Hollis is a summer camp for children, providing recreational opportunities for more than 2,000 at-risk youth per year, as well as the location for private events, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said in its Nov. 30 announcement.
Once complete, this climate-resiliency project will stabilize nearly 450 feet of Lake Ontario shoreline and prevent further erosion and encroachment of the bluff toward the camp’s facilities, “helping to ensure the historic camp remains open for campers and visitors,” the DEC said.
“New York State is mitigating the impacts of our changing climate and protecting communities across the state from the effects of extreme weather,” Basil Seggos, DEC commissioner, said in the announcement. “DEC is a proud partner in advancing the REDI mission here in Oswego County to keep the doors of Camp Hollis, a local treasure, open for generations to come.”
New York State awarded Oswego County $500,000 in grant funding to support the project through the state’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI). Wave and horizontal ice pressure, generated by severe storms, continuously eroded the toe of the bluff causing sloughing and intrusion of the bluff in toward Camp Hollis’s playing field and facilities and creating a hazardous condition for camp visitors.
The project’s resiliency elements include the installation of an onshore riprap revetment system with regraded slope. In addition, the area between the revetment and the slope will be vegetated to minimize potential erosion loss and protect the toe of the bluff.
DEC is the lead agency, overseeing permitting and implementation of the project.
“I commend the efforts to make important upgrades at Camp Hollis and I’m pleased to see this initiative is getting under way,” New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said. “The Lake Ontario shoreline stabilization project will preserve nearly 450 feet of space and ensure the physical integrity of the area remains intact. This financial investment into Camp Hollis is good news for the community and a worthy commitment from the state.”
“The goal of the REDI project at Camp Hollis is to maintain, sustain, and protect our Lake Ontario shoreline and our facilities from various weather patterns,” Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup said in the DEC announcement. “As you know, Oswego County is known for our harsh winters and high winds. Severe storms on the Lake Ontario shoreline have caused erosion to the bluffs along Camp Hollis, in which the REDI project will address.”
About REDI
New York State established REDI in the spring of 2019 to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and bolster economic development in the region. The move was “in response to the extended pattern of flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River,” the DEC said.
The state established five REDI regional planning to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public safety concerns. The committees are comprised of representatives from eight counties: Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence.
Through REDI, the state has committed up to $300 million, to benefit communities and improve resiliency in regions along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
Since the creation of the REDI program, 134 REDI funded local and regional projects have gotten underway, including 27 projects in the design phase, 23 projects in the construction phase, and 83 projects completed, the DEC said.