Fundraising for Boothe River Park primary goal for 2026

SARANAC LAKE | A New Year's resolution for the Friends of the Boothe River Park is to aggressively pursue funding to recreate a whitewater park featuring a low-impact wave, eddies, and more access points to enjoy the Saranac River. "This year, we'd love to sink our teeth into some big-ticket funding for this project, and we're working closely with the Village of Saranac Lake to go after some state and federal funds," said Scott McKim, president of Friends of the Boothe River Park. "We're really hoping to secure enough funding to get us across the finish line with this project." McKim submitted the park project to the Saranac Lake DRI for funding in 2018, securing over $400,000. The Friends of the Boothe River Park is now seeking $1- to $ 2-million grants to complete the project. This is actually attempt No. 2 to make the park a reality. In 1995, a group of local whitewater paddlers formed to build what would become the Hydro Point Park Project, which included the existing River Walk and a beginner whitewater kayak/canoe practice area. Completed the same year, this whitewater training area, which covered 500 feet of river and included 24 wood slalom gates, extended from the foot of Lake Flower Dam to an area across the river from the current Beaver Park, formerly known as the "Boy Scout Canoe Launch." Due to flooding, a leadership turnover, and financial constraints, this area fell into disrepair in the mid-2000s, and the "500-year flood" of 2011 sealed its fate. Since then, it has been in disrepair. In 2016, McKim and AdkAction's board members began discussing the possibility of rebuilding the whitewater park. "The very first thing we did was meet with the folks who did all the organizing for the original water park, learned from them what worked, what didn't work," McKim said. "That's how we got started." Since that meeting, there has been significant progress and widespread public support for the project, which aims to provide another recreational opportunity for locals and visitors in the village. "But it's way more than just recreation," McKim said. "It's about revitalizing and celebrating this amazing natural river that goes through the heart of our downtown, which is largely forgotten." The goal is to complete the Boothe River Park sometime around 2029. "The Lake Flower Dam gets relicensed every 40 years through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and we just happen to be in that five to seven-year window of relicensure, which happens every 40 years. That process dictates the earliest we could get approval," McKim explained. "So, the earliest we can do construction is 2028. We're still about three years out, but hopefully by 2028-29, we will have a fully functioning whitewater park." In addition to seeking grant funding, the Friends of the Boothe River Park is securing the necessary easements and planning to host several fundraising events throughout the year, including the Film Fest in May and the Duck Race in the summer, said McKim. "Actually, if all goes as planned, we hope to have our first fundraising event in early March." For more information or updates, visit bootheriverpark.com.

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Fundraising for Boothe River Park primary goal for 2026

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