Although Hurley is small, the Town continues to grow and with
it our need for recreational resources grows, too. Visitors
drawn
to the area also need recreational opportunities. And,
in addition, residents from neighboring communities share our recreational
resources, just as we share their’s.
Currently there are two recreational
parks within the town, one owned by the town on Dug Hill Road
and one privately
operated,
fee-based
facility (Hurley Recreation Association) on DeWitt Mills
Road. Additionally, the Hurley Little League Association
maintains
a baseball field adjacent
to Route 28 in the Town of Ulster. The Little League also
uses fields in the West Hurley area through an agreement
with the
Onteora School
District.
The Recreation Committee oversees
the park and organizes community recreational opportunities and
events. We appreciate the work these volunteers do each year
on our behalf.
The
Town park site was chosen to bridge the geographic divide between
Old and West Hurley. While politically
expedient, the location
can’t
be reached without a car. This makes it of limited use to
children.
Long term, we recommend that
the town develop parks and ball fields easily accessible
to the population
centers.  The Town owns no swimming beach or boat launch area of
our own. We provide a summer recreation program by
transporting children
to an
out of town swimming area.
A
13 mile long rail trail follows the NY Ontario and Western rail
bed through Hurley along route 209,
through the woods
on to Marbletown
and High Falls. This rail trail is part o the D&H
Heritage Corridor that will connect Kingston to Carbondale,
PA over
100 miles away. The trail provides opportunities
for biking, walking, jogging, and just being outside.
Although the
population in Hurley is aging, the data collected from our
surveys indicated
that the town
residents acknowledge
the need for planning related to recreational resources.
While rail trails garnered the most support in
the community survey, residents also expressed
an interest
in bike
paths, a multi-purpose
community center, and an Esopus boat launch.  NYC
DEP lands offer a resource for additional recreation
opportunities that would not compromise the quality
or security of NYC’s
water supply. The U&D rail trail and other
hiking paths, ball parks, tennis courts, and
picnic areas are all potential
features
for consideration. We recommend that the surrounding
towns add recreation to the agenda of issues
for discussion and negotiation
with New York
City.
Paying for a Recreation Infrastructure
As a fiscally conservative
town with a population increasingly dependent on fixed incomes,
residents
want to see additional
recreational opportunities
with minimal impact on taxes. That suggests that the Town should
plan for the long term, begin to contribute now to a capital
fund, and pursue grant opportunities.
We recommend
that the Recreation Committee develop a long range
recreation plan and capital
budget. With that
in place, the town can develop strategies
for financing the plan including applications for
grant monies,
negotiations with developers,
and annual contributions to a capital account
over multiple years.
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