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Buttermilk Falls park set for better access after $1.3m land purchase

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Open Space Institute acquired a four-acre site for $1.3 million to transfer to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Integrating this parcel will allow the more than 800-acre park to establish a redesigned gateway featuring new parking, improved traffic flow, enhanced wayfinding, and a fresh trailhead. Additionally, an on-site Federal-style brick house constructed around 1825 could be repurposed to house AmeriCorps service members who support regional state parks. The expansion also directly integrates into wider regional multi-use trail developments like the Black Diamond Trail project.

Key points

  • Transferring the land to New York State allows park officials to redesign the primary ent…: Transferring the land to New York State allows park officials to redesign the primary entrance and ease regional traffic congestion.
  • The historic bed-and-breakfast structure may be converted into dedicated housing for Amer…: The historic bed-and-breakfast structure may be converted into dedicated housing for AmeriCorps members working in Finger Lakes parks.
  • The acquisition secures a vital link for expanding multi-use trails and public transit co…: The acquisition secures a vital link for expanding multi-use trails and public transit connections between multiple regional outdoor destinations.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

More than a century after a generous land donation helped create Buttermilk Falls State Park, a small but important piece of its neighboring landscape is being returned to public use. The Open Space Institute has acquired a four-acre property between the park’s existing entrance and Route 13 in Tompkins County for $1.3 million, purchasing it from the Margaret M. Rumsey Trust, as per their website. The organisation plans to transfer the land to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as an addition to Buttermilk Falls State Park. The property includes a former bed-and-breakfast and sits at the foot of the gorge that gave the park its name. Once transferred, it could support a redesigned park gateway with reconfigured parking, improved traffic circulation, better wayfinding, housing for staff, and a new trailhead. For a park that welcomes nearly 400,000 visitors each year, the acquisition represents an opportunity to make access safer, smoother, and more welcoming. Read more about it here, as per Open Space Institute:

A park born from a family gift

Buttermilk Falls State Park…

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