Rivers center good for region

It's not just a win for Beacon, or even Dutchess County. The entire region should celebrate the state's long-anticipated decision to establish locally a scientific institute for studying rivers.

A dozen sites up and down the Hudson River were vying to be chosen as host for the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson. But Gov. George Pataki came to Beacon Monday to announce that city's bid was successful. Other nearby candidates included spots in Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, Newburgh and two in Kingston.

The competition was fierce, and justifiably so. The world-class research center, expected to open in 2006, will eventually run on a $63 million annual budget, with a well-paid staff of about 500. More than that, it's expected to draw several thousand visitors a year -- as does the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts -- besides providing learning opportunities for local students.

The funding package seems solid, for at least the first year. New York state has already authorized $2.25 million toward the project, and the federal government $900,000 more. The New York Power Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will put up $10 million each. The Dyson Foundation, a local philanthropic organization, will provide $5 million, and Dutchess County another $750,000.

Funding for the final two years of construction is not wholly in place, a Pataki spokesman said, but it will follow the same lines. While it would be better to have all the funding in hand from the start, that may not be possible now, when state and federal budgets are extremely tight. Future public allocations mustn't cut hard into other necessities, like road and bridge repairs, education or health care. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, favors the project in theory, though he expresses justifiable concern about how construction will be funded in future years.

The governor said Monday the institute will be built on Dennings Point on Beacon's waterfront, a property owned by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

This decision makes sense for several reasons. The rivers center scholars will be able to cooperate with colleagues at the nearby Institute of Ecosystem Studies, in Millbrook, and at Hudsonia, based at Bard College in Annandale. Bard is just one of several nearby educational institutions.

Generous Dyson offer surely helped

It certainly didn't hurt that the Dyson Foundation pledged $5 million to the project, and the Dutchess County Legislature an additional $750,000, provided a site in the county was chosen. The project will be funded by a mix of federal, state and private money.

Besides enjoying some well-deserved bragging rights, Beacon can expect an economic boost. Local merchants will certainly find plenty of construction workers -- and, later, permanent staff members and tourists -- among their customers.

However, these benefits will be felt well beyond Beacon -- in part, because visitors to the rivers center will find other draws in the area -- from outdoor activities in the Catskills and elsewhere to the region's many artistic and cultural venues, including the Dia:Beacon art museum opening this spring.

The significance of this announcement cannot be underestimated. It will surely further the recovery of the Hudson from decades of neglect and industrial pollution. It could foster the recovery of precious fish species like shad and striped bass, with implications for rivers worldwide.

In years to come, this entire region will be known internationally as the home of the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson. It will take plenty of toil to get there, but the long-term benefits of this facility should make all the hard work well worth it.

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