Crews finish $3 million of renovations at Fair Haven Beach, Fillmore Glen state parks

Work crews have completed a total of $3 million in renovations to “revitalize key features” of Fair Haven Beach and Fillmore Glen state parks in Cayuga County.

Fair Haven Beach State Park is located in Fair Haven, while Fillmore Glen State Park is in Moravia.

The projects included the first “major” renovation of the east and west bathhouses in 40 years at Fair Haven Beach and work on the 1930 pavilion at Fillmore Glen, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release issued Thursday.

The park improvements seek to “enhance accessibility and the overall visitor experience.”

The projects are supported by state money from Cuomo’s NY Parks 2020 initiative and “complement” Central New York Rising, the region’s plan for economic growth and community development.

The NY Parks 2020 program is a “multi-year commitment” to spend $900 million on state parks. Cuomo’s 2017-18 executive budget allocates $120 million toward this initiative, his office said.

Fair Haven Beach State Park, located on the Lake Ontario shoreline, includes 1,500 feet of sandy beaches, campgrounds, and cabin areas.

Fillmore Glen State Park has hiking trails, five waterfalls, and a “botanically rich glen,” Cuomo’s office said. The park has 60 campsites, a stream-fed swimming pool, and fishing available in the Owasco Lake inlet.

The projects

The $2 million renovation of the bathhouses at Fair Haven Beach State Park represented a “complete renovation of the 1970s facilities.”

The work included tiling and fixtures and added family bathrooms and solar water-heating systems in each bathhouse.

The $1 million project at Fillmore Glen State Park focused on 1930 pavilion at the “hub of the park’s” swimming area, gorge trail, picnic ground, and replica of President Millard Fillmore’s boyhood cabin, Cuomo’s office said.

Exterior improvements to the pavilion included replacing the roof, repairing windows, upgrading its siding, while the interior restrooms, multipurpose room and lifeguard station were completely renovated.

The pavilion improvements build on the recent renovation of the Fillmore cabin by volunteers from the Franklin, Tennessee–based Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, a nonprofit conservation organization.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com