The park features views of the river with non-motorized boat launch access for canoes and kayaks on the waterfront section of the park.

The newly renovated Navy Barracks building has a handicap accessible waterfront deck with Adirondack chairs for relaxing. The park also has picnic tables with BBQ grills.

The upper section of the park has two hiking trails

The position, an appointee by the county executive, has been vacant for three years. Democrat Minority Leader Sandra Goldberg said designating Heritage Days without a historian is doing it backwards.

“Things keep being asked of other people in the county to step up to the plate and do something that, were a county historian in place, a county historian would do that,” she said.

Other Democrats argued this is the time to fill a funded position.

Deputy Majority Leader Republican Angela Flesland said the resolution should be supported as is, because that would put pressure on the current county executive, or a new one who takes office in January, to fill the post.

Another Republican, James Miccio, said there are enough people available, with historical duties, to do what is needed, including in his hometown of Fishkill

“Probably the heart of the Revolutionary War history in Dutchess County, and we have an able town historian, and a few of them that work at the Van Wyck Homestead that would be very interested in and happy to work with this,” he said. “You don’t need one county historian, as I said the other day and it was said this evening, I think that will push this to maybe get a county historian.”

Despite more than 10 minutes of lively debate, in the end, only three Democrats opposed the resolution, and Heritage Days is now part of the Dutchess County calendar, with or without a county historian.

     We all eagerly anticipate job creation as a result of the recently passed state budget.  Ultimately, voters will judge the success or failure of our elected officials on that issue.
     The state budget that has been agreed to embodies some very difficult decisions that were made in the interests of improving our economy over the long run.  The economic downturn over the last several years hit working families the hardest and for too many years before that unemployment in the private sector was allowed to run rampant.  
     This budget  is estimated to force as many as 77,0000 jobs to be lost in state government, local government, schools, transportation and heath care facilities.
    Although there has been a lot of press attention surrounding the successful, on-time passage of this budget, the fact is that the real assessment of this budget and those who supported it will depend on the creation of sustained, good paying jobs.  
     The Obama economic recovery has made Wall Street profitable again and for two years straight the economy has turned around for those who can afford to invest.  However, the vast majority of working families are still struggling and not benefiting from the 2008 and 2009 bailouts of Wall Street and corporate America.  Bailouts that were in fact funded by those very same workers. 
     Simply put, there is no recovery unless we create jobs that sustain our local economies and allow individuals to purchase homes, pay their bills in a timely manner, and otherwise plan long term for the future well-being of their families.  Taxpayer dollars can no longer be used to create minimum wage, low paying jobs at the expense of long term economic development goals and initiatives. The days of creating minimum wage jobs can and should be long gone.  Economic policies based on empty rhetoric should cease and desist.
    The labor movement, as well as taxpayers demand real jobs at good wages  with necessary benefits.
    Leading up to the budget agreement, there was a lot of talk about shared sacrifice. Our new budget provides a tax cut to the wealthiest New Yorkers, cuts government spending and  continues tax credits and economic development programs important for business interests in this state.      
     Working men and women made their fair share of sacrifice with the intended results of good jobs.  Now it is time to make sure that working people reap that much anticipated and long promised reward.                                                

  Denis Hughes, President