COLTON – Members of the Friends of Higley Flow State Park are encouraging area residents make contributions to their $125,000 capital campaign for construction of a new all-season lodge.

Forms are available at http://northcountrynow.com/friends-higley and in the Feb. 23 edition of North Country This Week.

More than $50,000 has already been pledged for the all-season, multi-purpose Higley Trails Lodge at Higley Flow State Park.

The lodge will have bathrooms, heat during winter, and it will be accessible to the handicapped. It will also have classroom space and a venue for special events, guest speakers, and other types of activities associated with the park.

Local schools will be able to use the facility in conjunction with field trips. Now, there are no public bathrooms at the park for nine months of the year, which diminishes the opportunity for local schools, including the colleges, to use the park.

The new building will also provide a heated space for the St. Lawrence and Clarkson University Nordic Ski Teams, who use the park for training.

The Friends group plans to have the facility open for general use on weekends during ski season.

The facility will be located adjacent to the winter parking area where the trailheads for the cross-country ski trails are located.