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Highland - February 16

Posted 2/15/21

This past week, Johnny Pizzolato the owner of the Stickett Inn in Barryville and the Town of Highland's representative and Chair of the the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway gave an exciting presentation …

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Highland - February 16

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This past week, Johnny Pizzolato the owner of the Stickett Inn in Barryville and the Town of Highland's representative and Chair of the the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway gave an exciting presentation to the Town of Highland Board about the upcoming plans for a major beautification upgrade and develop safe public access to the Delaware River within the Town of Highland.

The presentation meeting had two elected County Legislators in attendance in support of the plan, Nadia Rajsz and Chairman of the Legislature, Rob Doherty.

Legislator Alan Sorensen who in years past was the first Chair of the Scenic Byway sent a letter of support for the River Access Project saying that it is important to invest in tourism and the Town's infrastructure for both residents and visitors and to encourage eco-tourism to our County and as we all know, The Delaware River is certainly the star of the show!

Ms. Rajsz pointed out that of the seventy miles stretch of Route 97 from Port Jervis in Orange County along the Byway route up to Hancock in Delaware County, the Town of Highland seems to be blessed with having the best natural river access points.

According to Mr. Pizzolato the project is meant to attract more visitors to our town and have outdoor resources that encourage healthy family activities.

He explained that the River Access Project brings together not only the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway and the Town of Highland, but The Delaware Highlands Conservancy, The Delaware Company along with the Greater Barryville Chamber of Commerce.

The River Access Project will have several components. The first (and my personal favorite) will be the beautification of the Cul-de-sac at the end of River Road adjacent to the Shohola bridge in Barryville.

With the support from the Greater Barryville Chamber of Commerce there will be a general cleanup of the area by the river, which is used for fishing and boats, in the Cul-de- sac there will be solar powered incinerators and recycle bins and the installation of a striking public art mural on the blacktop in a beautiful floral pattern designed by graphic artist Dorene Warner of W. Design Group in Barryville.

Ms. Warner told me that creating the Cul-de-sac street mural is a way to visually reduce the sea of blacktop from roads and parking lots in the area while making an eye-catching splash of color in Barryville at the busy intersections of Route 97 and 55 and the Shohola Barryville Bridge.

Did you know the Town of Highland has a town beach? Well, we do, and it has fallen on some hard times and is not being used much, but that is about to change under the next part of the River Access Project.

The town beach is located at the north end of River Road. The beach access will be cleaned up, cleared of overgrowth and debris and a new ramp will be placed for better access with safety features and will henceforth be known as Riverside Park.

The next access project will be the re-vitalization of the Barbara Yeaman Eagle Observatory Station and replanting and landscaping along the grounds on Route 97 and provide upgrades and parking for visitors to the river. Regrettably no eagles have been spotted at the Observatory site for several years. Once the clearing of pathways there will be several miles of paths for walking, running, or biking right along the banks of the Delaware River.

“It's a wonderful and much needed project, Legislator Rajsz said and thanked Johnny Pizzolato for his very hard work bringing the current plans together and in focus. These access plans have been on the books for over ten years now, Ms. Rajsz continued, and they perfectly play into the River Management visions for the Upper Delaware Council.” According to Mr. Pizzolato he hopes to have the River Access Project completed by the end of 2021.

For more information visit the Greater Barryville Chamber of Commerce website at barryvilleny.com.

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