Hudson River Rowing Association Community Boathouse Project Timeline

1998
  • Hudson River Rowing Association is founded
1999
  • HRRA becomes a federally recognized 501c3 not-for-profit organization
  • HRRA participates in Dutchess County Executive sponsored Waterfront Initiative Task Force – and presents its vision of building a community boathouse to house all rowing programs in the Mid-Hudson Valley
  • HRRA begins discussing a potential 5 acre waterfront land lease by Vassar College for the project
2000
  • HRRA holds the first of several meetings with parent groups associated with each of the local high school rowing clubs in order to present the ideas behind the building of a community boathouse and build support.
  • HRRA begins to discuss early boathouse design ideas with Mike McCormack of Liscum, McCormack and VanVoorhis, who will eventually become the project architects.
2001
  • HRRA expands its Board of Directors in preparation for its boathouse project initiative
2002
  • Vassar College Board of Directors commits 4.7 acres of land to HRRA for construction of the Community Boathouse.
  • The Dyson Foundation donates $70,000 and the Jeannette Schlobach Charitable Trust donates $10,000 of seed money to develop initial architectural and engineering plans.
  • HRRA hires Bill Rohde of Rohde, Soyka and Andrews to provide site engineering.
2003
  • HRRA hires Transitional Builders Inc, a construction management firm, in order to begin developing initial construction budgets and specifications to be used for bidding the project.
  • HRRA receives a $500,000 Empire State Development Corporation grant sponsored by Governor George Pataki.
  • The Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency grants the HRRA Community Boathouse project $300,000.
  • The Millbrook Tribute Garden Commits $45,000 towards the construction budget.
2004
  • HRRA and Vassar College officially sign a 99 year lease for 4.7 acres of waterfront property on which the HRRA Community Boathouse will be constructed.
  • The Town of Poughkeepsie Planning Board approves the construction plans.
  • An additional Empire State Development Corporation grant sponsored by Senator Stephan Saland for $250,000 is received by HRRA.
  • Grants from the Dyson Foundation, The McCann Foundation, The Nuhn Charitable Trust, The Jeannette Schlobach Charitable Trust and the Hudson River Improvement Fund are committed to the HRRA Community Boathouse.
2005
  • HRRA bids the project to five local construction firms, eventually settling on Transitional Builders, Inc. as the construction manager.
  • HRRA hosts a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark the beginning of the construction of the Hudson River Rowing Association Community Boathouse.

For additional information on the Hudson River Rowing Association Boathouse please see the following links: