BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The town has accepted a $219,500 bid to construct a bathhouse at Postwood Park.

The board moved to approve the bid from the Gouverneur-based Northern Tier Contracting at its March 14 meeting.

“What the (town recreation) committee is recommending is, after looking at the numbers we have enough in the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, to accept and move forward with low bidder for the project,” Town Council member Marty Miller told the board.

The new bathhouse is the latest in a series of improvements the town has launched since taking over management of the park from the village in 2021. The park, actually in the town of Pierrepont in Hannawa Falls, was long part of the village’s summer recreation program through an agreement with the town of Potsdam.

The village announced in 2021 that they would not open the park as part of the village program, citing lack of funding, maintenance, sanitary and vandalism concerns.

The town responded by declaring they would reopen the park themselves, using $80,000 they would normally earmark to give to the village for the winter recreation program to pay for the costs of a new town recreation czar and lifeguards.

After taking over the operation, the town cleaned up the swimming area, added new sand, contracted with local artist Sarah Lynch to paint a mural there, held swimming lessons, offered kayak rentals and held dragon boat races and a vendor fair in the space in 2022.

Future plans are in the works to add campsite areas, trails and other additional improvements.