Rep. Josh Riley secures $250,000 for the Public Square!

Riley secures $250K for 7th Street Park renovations

BY
SPENSER WALSH, The Register Star

The fundraising campaign to renovate 7th Street Park secured a $250,000 federal allocation with the backing of U.S. Rep. Josh Riley.

Riley secured the allocation for the park renovation as part of the budget for the federal Housing and Urban Development agency. The HUD budget was passed Feb 3.

Friends of the Public Square, the group of Hudson residents leading planning for the park's renovation,was notified Thursday the funds were secured for the park. The group started fundraising for the project in 2021.

"I am proud to have delivered $250,000 for the Hudson Public Square Renovation project in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill," Riley said Friday. "This funding will help restore 7th Street Park, improve safety and accessibility, and preserve an important historic public space in the heart of Hudson for families, children, and the entire community"

Friends of the Public Square originally intended to raise $1 million for the first phase of the park's planned renovations. The federal funding brings the total amount of money raised by Friends of the Public Square to roughly $1.3 million. Friends of the Public Square Chairperson Katherine Kanaga said "It feels fantastic, and Josh Riley's really come through for us," Kanaga said. “It's been a real challenge to raise money for this park, and this is just a big step forward in terms of our ability to get work started." The plans for the first phase include updating the park's electrical and plumbing systems, new pathways and improved lighting. There are also plans to move the veterans' memorial to a more prominent position in the park and create more public gathering space, which are two common requests made by residents when the group solicited community feedback.

The new money means the group can now consider expanding the first phase, although plans for that expansion are yet to be decided, Kanaga said.