New riverwalk, skate park for Potsdam in design phase

POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) - Plans are underway for a new riverwalk and skate park that officials say will reshape the village of Potsdam.

Fall Island Park and Garner Park in Potsdam are set to be connected by a riverwalk on both sides of the Raquette River.

It’s part of a $4.1 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Project which is currently in the design phase.

“I think that there’s been a lot of community interest in this project and the village board is very excited about it and I think it’s going to be a real nice dimension - another attraction to bring people to downtown Potsdam,” said Fred Hanns, director of Potsdam Planning and Development.

The riverwalk itself would begin on Maple Street. It would then follow the Raquette River across Sandstone Drive and then go upstream on Raymond Street. The riverwalk would end on Market Street in the middle of the village of Potsdam.

There are also plans for a community skatepark on the upper portion of Fall Island. It will receive $600,000 dollars in DRI funding.

St. Lawrence County Arts Council Executive Director Maggie McKenna says that the addition of the skate park is something that has been discussed among village officials for a while now.

“A bunch of people even reached out to me and they were like, ‘Can we do something in Fall Island? This part of the park that’s right by the road really looks kind of dinghy. Can we make it better? Can we do something cool there?’ And that’s really where the idea came from,” she said.

When the project is finished, people will be able to enjoy a walk that connects to Munger Trail near Clarkson University, see views of the Raquette River, and enjoy skating on rollerblades and skateboards.

Work on the projects is expected to continue well into 2024.

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