Update-LaGuardia County Park Layout Design, A Decade-Long Dream to Become Real

By Edie Johnson

(5/26 -Updated - AI was at it again....assuming that if the trail went to Washington(ville), the next stop would be Florida. Nope, the new Schunnemunk Rail Trail is being developed from Chester at the former LaGuardia property that will be soon developed as a County Park, then to Blooming Grove, Washingtonville, and Cornwall. Frustrating when you tell the website program "No, I don't want AI help on this"... and it "helps" anyway, deciding that "Florida would be a nice addition for the hikers lol ")

Some awesome news. In case you did not have time to read the long and detailed review of County Exec, Steve Neuhaus' State of the County Address, one of the most exciting parts of it was the unveiling of the just finished first drawings for the 227-acre County Park planned for the Camp LaGuardia site. Certainly there will be some changes before construction begins. Neuhaus described it as "If Winding Hills and Thomas Bull Memorial Park had a child." And there will be environmental studies and chances for a public input, but it has leaped the chasm from longtime dream to reality.

Many more details to come, but this is a thrilling new look at the "Before" and "After", the current status being described by CE Neuhaus as "It looks like it came right out of a horror movie".

Current historic buildings at the former Camp LaGuardia site. Only the main building will remain. The others will be demolished in the near future.

With the Chester-Blooming Grove-Washingtonville-Cornwall stretch of the

Schunnemunk Trail starting construction with its first link at this new County Park, on the bordetr of Chester and Blooming Grove, right where it links with the Heritage Trail, and ending at the Moodna Trestle, it is expected to become a huge boon for this corner of the County's Environmental Tourism.