Friends of Oakdale Lake
Help revive our beloved Oakdale Lake!
Oakdale lake is free, public, 5-acre spring fed lake in downtown Hudson, NY. It contains the cleanest tested swimming water in Columbia County, ½ mile of hiking trails and is home to a vibrant population of fish, turtles, and birds. Native Hudsonians recall learning to swim and attending regular celebrations at Oakdale. It is, in short, a town treasure. But in recent decades, Oakdale has fallen into disrepair: low investment in new design and infrastructure have left it lacking in amenities and a site for litter . State-of-the-art materials and planning, environmentally sensitive design and new infrastructure are needed in order for Oakdale to fulfill its potential as a real recreation and relaxation hub for the whole community.
That’s where we come in. Friends of Oakdale Lake is a non-profit association formed by Hudson residents to promote engagement and a future vision for Oakdale Lake .
The Hudson Valley Initiative (HVI) of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning (GSAPP)--which facilitates applied research into the complex spatial, ecological, and economic opportunities of the Hudson Valley--wants to work with Hudson on a vision for Oakdale Lake’s future. By bringing students and faculty at Columbia University together with community-based organizations to collaboratively develop, design and create spaces that address the needs of the collaborating community, HVI contributes to the specific towns and communities in the valley and to the larger study of American regional landscapes and cities.
We need to raise $5000 to complete funding of an HVI design project this fall at Oakdale Lake. Funds will be withdrawn by Tamar Adler, our treasurer, directly into the Friends of Oakdale Lake account at the Bank of Green County. A check for the full donation amount will be sent the Hudson Valley Initiative.
Today, Oakdale Lake is a vital part of our city. It’s the site of Hudson Youth Department summer programming, which is free for Hudson resident youth, aged 5–13. It’s also open to the public 12-6 every day this summer. But it needs so much more--more points of entry to the water; more engaging spaces for different ages; more ways to observe the wildlife; more site specific tables, benches, places to sit, read, cook, observe, think.
You can be part of this exciting project with a contribution of any amount.
All supporters are invited to join the workshop with Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning, as well as a community picnic in the coming weeks.
For more information please visit our website.