Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman a parcel of land along the Hudson River purchased by Scenic Hudson in October may become a state park. Kingston Mayor Steve Noble said January 9, that the 508 acres would be purchased by the state with money from the $3 billion Restore Mother Nature bond act, announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo during his State of the State address earlier this week. There was no immediate word about how much the state would pay for the land, which is located in both the city of Kingston and the town of Ulster. The land has an assessed value of $5.1 million. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan praised the plan, saying it has the potential to be transformational for the county and the region. Noble said in a prepared statement, “A state park in our own backyard will be a huge environmental and economic boon for the community, bringing world-class recreation and unprecedented access to the Hudson River." Scenic Hudson will work closely with the state and the city to develop the park. The site was used at one time for cement mining and processing and was known as the Tilcon property. It was later chosen as the site for a proposed 1,700-unit development that received preliminary approved from the Kingston Planning Board in 2010, but was never built. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.