Stewart Park to Receive $500,000 in NYS Economic Development Funding for Two Revitalization Projects

Ithaca, NY — February 13, 2023 — Revitalization efforts in Stewart Park received a big boost recently, thanks, in part, to the advocacy of New York State District 125 Assemblymember Anna Kelles. With the support of Kelles, a total of $500,000 in New York State Economic Development Funds has been allocated from the NYS State Assembly for two separate projects in Stewart Park. 

The first project, a new Accessible Splash Pad and Seasonal Bathroom Building will complete the park’s Inclusive Playground that was constructed in 2020 with $1 million in NYS funding support, as well as support from local foundations, businesses and individuals. The new Splash Pad, which will feature a mural of the Finger Lakes on its “floor” will be larger and more engaging, accessible, and more water efficient.  The adjacent accessible Bathroom Building will feature a gender-neutral/family restroom with an adult changing table along with Men’s and Women’s restrooms.

The second project is an Addition to the Picnic “Large” Pavilion to house Stewart Park Day Camp equipment currently stored in the historic Wharton Studio/DPW Building across the parking lot from the Picnic Pavilion. The Addition will provide safer and more convenient access to camp bikes, canoes, and art supplies for campers and staff. Also, the construction of the Addition is a crucial step in developing the Wharton Studio Park Center, a year-round destination in the lakefacing section of the Wharton Studio Building that will feature exhibits about Ithaca and the studio’s role in early American moviemaking and a cafe with terraces looking onto Cayuga Lake. 

Anna Kelles says “Stewart Park has been a jewel of the Finger Lakes for more than a century, providing families and visitors enjoyment along Cayuga Lake. The collaboration between Friends of Stewart Park, the City of Ithaca, Wharton Studio Museum, Tompkins County,  and New York State to provide two vital enhancements to the Park will expand access, beauty, and joy. A new splash pad will provide children with a wonderful new and improved place to play and cool off in the hot summer months. An extension to the Picnic Pavilion will add safety and utility, allowing summer campers streamlined access to camp equipment without having to worry about car traffic, and it will also pave the way for the Wharton Studio Park Center in the historic Wharton Studio Building. Ithaca prides itself on inclusiveness, and these improvements help move our community toward greater accessibility for all.”

Official announcement of the funding took place Thursday, February 9, 2023, at Stewart Park, with brief remarks from Assemblymember Kelles, as well as by Rick Manning of Friends of Stewart Park, Diana Riesman of Wharton Studio Museum, and Ithaca’s Acting Mayor Ducson Nguyen.

Since its formation in 2011, Friends of Stewart Park (FSP) has been working in partnership with the City of Ithaca, which owns the park, and with Wharton Studio Museum and other community partners to restore, enhance and improve Stewart Park.

“FSP’s partnership with the WSM, the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York State, and the Ithaca community to revitalize the park has been a great success,” says Friends of Stewart Park Executive Director Rick Manning.“ We are grateful to New York State for its past support of important park improvement projects such as the Stewart Park Playground and restoration of the iconic Cascadilla Boathouse, and now the Splash Pad and future Wharton Studio Park Center. We greatly appreciate Assemblymember Kelles’ interest and commitment to the park.”

Important Restoration of Fuertes Overlook in Stewart Park Made Possible by Legacy Gift

Friends of Stewart Park (FSP) is pleased to announce that new and much-needed restoration work has begun on the Fuertes Overlook in Stewart Park thanks to a $20,000 grant from the estate of Dr. Tapan Mitra,  a leading economic theorist and long-serving professor at Cornell University.

The funds have made possible this vital restoration work on the Fuertes Overlook, allowing for the Overlook to be usable this summer. The grant was administered by the Community Foundation.

Built in 1934 as a gift to the City of Ithaca from the Cayuga Bird Club (CBC) in honor of famed ornithologist and artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and located near the historic Cascadilla Boathouse, the Fuertes Overlook has long been a beloved landmark in Stewart Park, where it overlooks the Fuertes Bird Sanctuary and “swan pond” which was also funded by the CBC and constructed in 1927. 

The Overlook was initially restored by Friends of Stewart Park in 2018 with financial support from the Triad Foundation and other donors. Stone masonry was done by Brainstone Stonework and metal railing fabrication by Accufab Inc. Volunteers reset bluestone pavers to create a stone pathway leading to the Overlook’s entrance and added attractive landscaping. Unfortunately, in early 2020, serious structural damage to the exterior wall was discovered when the pond water levels dropped, along with those in Cayuga Lake. FSP, in partnership with the City of Ithaca, began to plan how to repair the problem and to fundraise to cover the cost of the repair.

Fortunately, the estate of Dr. Tapan Mitra stepped in. A leading scholar in the field of economic theory and applied mathematics, Dr. Mitra became a faculty member in Cornell University’s Economics Department in 1981 and lived in Ithaca most of his life. In his time, Dr. Mitra established endowments at Cornell University and University of Rochester to fund annual student prizes with the hope of encouraging academic excellence. Dr. Mitra also left his mark on the Ithaca community with generous legacy gifts to Hospicare, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, and now to Friends of Stewart Park. The $20,000 gift will preserve one of the park’s most recognizable birding locations.

“Dr. Mitra’s charitable gift to repair improvements to a natural area’s accessibility for all to enjoy enables public space for reflection and connection to each other and to our beautiful local natural world. Community Foundation is honored to uphold his philanthropic intention to the benefit of residents and visitors alike,” said George Ferrari, Community Foundation CEO.

“My uncle cared deeply about the wildlife and natural beauty of the Finger Lakes, and spent a great deal of time at Stewart Park over the span of almost forty years. As an avid birdwatcher, he would be delighted that this gift will play a role in restoring and preserving the Overlook,” said Aveek Majumdar, his nephew.

The Fuertes Overlook restoration work, being completed by Reilly Masonry, is complicated – it requires temporarily draining the pond around the overlook –  but it will ensure that this historic landmark will continue to charm visitors to Stewart Park for years to come.

While the gift is expected to cover most of the Overlook’s repair,  FSP is accepting further donations with a goal of raising an additional $4,000 to fully fund the project. If you would like to contribute to the restoration of the historic Fuertes Overlook, please visit www.stewartpark.org/overlook, or call Friends of Stewart Park at 607-319-4766.