Town of Ballston, New York

TOWN OF BALLSTON, NEW YORK some of its parks. Specifically Anchor Diamond Park at Hawkwood, which is 246acres of land the town purchased. The greenspace has five miles of trails and a conservation easement, so it’ll be kept “forever wild.” There are also many historic structures throughout the park, highlighted with signage and tours. The improvements at Anchor Diamond Park are part of an effort to foster an even deeper sense of community within the town. Further developing all parks, and even potentially creating an official Parks Department, help create a welcoming atmosphere where citizens can gather. There is also a concentrated effort by the town and residents to help keep the rural areas rural. Local government is even looking into implementing tools within the new zoning package to create conservation easements to farmland, as well as open spaces. Looking ahead three to five years, Connolly has plans to continue improving the town’s outdoor areas. For example, the Ballston Veterans Bike Path is currently about three-and-a-half miles long and ends at the north part of Ballston Lake. He hopes to extend the trail to the north and south, so it becomes one big path connecting the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (BH-BL) High School all the way to the Ballston Spa Middle and High Schools. This would also connect the Veterans Bike Path to the Zim Smith Trail, a large trail network winding throughout most of Saratoga County. “We want to bring the town together, increasing the number of community wide events for people from all our areas,” explains Connolly. “We have lots of ideas for events that people can celebrate and be a part of. Like a winter carnival, a town-wide Easter egg hunt, or a passport bike or walking trail event where various stops must be reached. We have an excellent parks committee ready to help us. These things bring people together and that’s something the residents living in Ballston really cherish.”