DeVeaux Woods State Park opens new amenities

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, along with the City of Niagara Falls, cut the ribbon today on a new comfort station, as well as the city’s first dog park, in DeVeaux Woods State Park.

The comfort station was designed in the style of the carriage barn that had previously stood in the park. Material from the barn was used in the construction of the new comfort station, which also features history related to the barn.

The $600,260 project was funded by the Niagara River Greenway Commission and was completed by NCI Construction of Lancaster, J.R. Swanson of Niagara Falls, and M&M Electric also of Niagara Falls.

In addition to the comfort station, the first dog park in the City of Niagara Falls was opened. The concept of former resident Caroline Boback, the city secured federal funding to purchase and install fencing and other park furnishings. Under the agreement between State Parks and the city, both entities will share maintenance duties of the park.

4th Generation Construction of Niagara Falls performed the work on the dog park.

“The new amenities at DeVeaux Woods will contribute to making this a park that will hopefully become even more popular with neighbors and other residents alike,” Western District Director Mark V. Mistretta said. “Certainly, the addition of restrooms are a basic park amenity, but we are pleased that it could be done in a way that honors the history of the park. We are also proud to partner with the City of Niagara Falls to host the first dog park in the city. We hope all the four-legged visitors enjoy it.”

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster said, “This dog park is yet another example of the state and the city partnering to provide a recreational amenity to the residents of Niagara Falls. I want to thank Gov. Cuomo and the team at New York State Parks for working with the City of Niagara Falls to bring this park to fruition.”
Niagara Falls City Councilman William Kennedy said, “This is a great example of the state and city working together. I am grateful to have been a part of the process to improve and enhance one of our parks while holding on to some of our history. I am also extremely excited to see the bark park come to fruition for our residents that wanted a place to take their dogs. These are wonderful wins for the city as we continue to make Niagara Falls a better place to live.”

Assemblyman Angelo Morinello said, “The new comfort station and dog park in DeVeaux Woods State Park is a welcome addition to the City of Niagara Falls. We are especially proud of the fact that material from former Carriage Barn was refurbished and utilized to build this new comfort station and are also proud of the local business that were involved in the construction of this project. Thank you to the Niagara River Greenway Commission for funding this project and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for getting this done.”

Boback said, “My heart is so happy to be able to do something for my hometown and city I grew up in. I know my father is shining down proud of my vision becoming a reality – he was a proud lifelong resident. The real sense of accomplishment here is knowing that families and residents will get so much joy out of such an amenity.”

Under Andrew Cuomo's leadership, New York is making a historic commitment to improving parks and expanding access to outdoor recreation. His “NY Parks 2020” program is a multi-year commitment to revitalize the state park system. The 2019-20 state budget allocates $110 million toward this initiative.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, golf courses, recreational trails and boat launches, which are visited by 74 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456, visit www.parks.ny.gov, connect on Facebook, or follow on Instagram and Twitter.