Post by L Roebuck on Oct 16, 2006 8:30:02 GMT -5
Cooper's Cave deck proves popular
Platform to stay open through end of month
SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- Village officials say the Cooper's Cave observation deck has been regularly visited this summer and they have decided to keep the attraction open until the end of the month.
It had been scheduled to close Sunday.
"There wasn't a day that I came down here that there wasn't anybody down here," Mayor Robert Phinney said during a post-construction tour of the area Friday.
Between 20 and 30 bus tours stopped at the cave since it opened from dawn until dusk on May 27, Phinney said.
The number of visitors is not tracked by the village, but Phinney estimates that at least 10 people visited each hour during the summer, which would equal more than 10,000 visitors.
The cave is the fictional hiding site made famous in James Fenimore Cooper's novel, "The Last of the Mohicans."
The deck was installed by the state. For the last month, crews hired by the village have laid down a road and sidewalks leading to the deck.
Deven Shrestha, who manages SCA's wastewater treatment plant by the cave, said he's observed a noticeable increase in traffic to the observation deck despite construction.
This week, crews finished paving the road connecting the cave off River Street with the village's historical park on First Street. To do this, the village acquired property in between the two owned by SCA Tissue.
Crews also installed a parking lot on that property that has about 32 spaces for cave visitors.
From the parking lot, they poured sidewalks and laid pavers next to the road leading down to the observation deck. The road was previously a gravel road without sidewalks.
Crews also planted dozens of trees and shrubs next to the road.
State grants paid for the work.
Around lunchtime Friday, Glens Falls resident Steve Weinberger brought his brother and sister-in-law from Oregon to see the cave.
"They said they wanted to go for a walk this morning," Weinberger said.
This was his first trip to the cave since construction of the road leading to it was completed.
"This is nice, definitely a lot better than it used to be," he said.
Article
Platform to stay open through end of month
SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- Village officials say the Cooper's Cave observation deck has been regularly visited this summer and they have decided to keep the attraction open until the end of the month.
It had been scheduled to close Sunday.
"There wasn't a day that I came down here that there wasn't anybody down here," Mayor Robert Phinney said during a post-construction tour of the area Friday.
Between 20 and 30 bus tours stopped at the cave since it opened from dawn until dusk on May 27, Phinney said.
The number of visitors is not tracked by the village, but Phinney estimates that at least 10 people visited each hour during the summer, which would equal more than 10,000 visitors.
The cave is the fictional hiding site made famous in James Fenimore Cooper's novel, "The Last of the Mohicans."
The deck was installed by the state. For the last month, crews hired by the village have laid down a road and sidewalks leading to the deck.
Deven Shrestha, who manages SCA's wastewater treatment plant by the cave, said he's observed a noticeable increase in traffic to the observation deck despite construction.
This week, crews finished paving the road connecting the cave off River Street with the village's historical park on First Street. To do this, the village acquired property in between the two owned by SCA Tissue.
Crews also installed a parking lot on that property that has about 32 spaces for cave visitors.
From the parking lot, they poured sidewalks and laid pavers next to the road leading down to the observation deck. The road was previously a gravel road without sidewalks.
Crews also planted dozens of trees and shrubs next to the road.
State grants paid for the work.
Around lunchtime Friday, Glens Falls resident Steve Weinberger brought his brother and sister-in-law from Oregon to see the cave.
"They said they wanted to go for a walk this morning," Weinberger said.
This was his first trip to the cave since construction of the road leading to it was completed.
"This is nice, definitely a lot better than it used to be," he said.
Article