Walkway Maintains Business Despite Event Postponements
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — — The Walkway Over the Hudson State Park is one of many businesses adjusting to life amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Its main purpose has remained unchanged disregarding the ones made on the operations front.
Around late March during the height of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a “Stay at Home” order for the whole state as a way to combat the rising coronavirus cases at the time.
However, the governor mandated that state parks remained open as a way for people to get outside and enjoy some recreational time, but at a distance.
“We were fortunate to have never closed,” said Walkway Director of Marketing and Communications Geoff Brault. “We were able to instantly get rid of all the areas where people would gather, and we began to clean and sanitize everything multiple times a day.”
Volunteers removed potential social areas from picnic tables to water fountains, sanitized the railing and other high-contact surfaces nightly, along with bathrooms between five and 10 times a day.
The public can use the Walkway for free while the Executive Board handles the logistics of hosting many events throughout the year that serve as sources of income. These events range from community events, fundraisers, and runs. All were canceled or postponed.
Some events that had to be canceled were the Fourth of July Fireworks and “Starry, Starry Night,” held on the first Friday of October.
“A barge loaded with fireworks is paired with the lights on the Mid-Hudson Bridge and music from a local radio station,” said Brault. “We will get four thousand people on the Walkway, but we couldn’t have that this year.”
Their “Starry, Starry Night” event was rescheduled as virtual. Normally, around 400 people gather under a tent where they can take part in an auction, listen to live music, and stay for fireworks. The plan now is to have people enjoy a Walkway experience from the comfort of their own homes, with a presentation of musicians providing the entertainment while being socially distant.
Making money was now a challenge. The Board had to rely on both their partners as a way to sponsor other virtual events, and their online presence.
“We partnered with [Fit Social] to customize a workout that someone could do on the Walkway, or as people are walking and can make it like a circuit,” said Brault. “We also worked really hard on our merchandise program and our online store that way people could have new options as a way to get cool gear.”
Attendance on the Walkway has improved despite the pandemic.
“Our attendance this year is up significantly,” said Brault. “On weekdays, we’ve seen weekend crowds and on weekends we’ve seen holiday crowds.”
The uptick in foot traffic was unexpected, but the Board is handling the increase as best they can.
“With that many more people, we are working hard to make sure that everyone remains safe and enjoys the park safely,” said Brault. “We’re grateful to have that challenge.”
