Community playground: Eddie Collins Memorial Park

Eddie Collins Memorial Park has been a mecca for generations of families in Dutchess County.

While it has been a hometown park for Millerton, families travel from nearby Connecticut and points south in the county to enjoy a day in the park or a Little League baseball game.

The park is named after Eddie Collins, who played major league baseball from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Sox. Born in Millerton in 1887, Collins was not only a big leaguer, he was Ivy League, having graduated from Columbia College. He also was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When the park began to show its age in recent years, a group of civic-minded volunteers launched a renovation project. Due to their efforts, the Millerton community has witnessed a phased revitalization of Eddie Collins Memorial Park over recent years. The park brings the community together, and with its continued expansion seeks opportunities to provide accessible engagement for all.

Stephen Waite, chair of the project committee for the park, recalled that he used to play baseball at the park as a youngster.

“When my nephews started playing here,” he said, “I saw that it had really deteriorated, and I thought we should get the community and its volunteers to make it a project.”

Webutuck Little League celebrates trophy day at the Eddie Collins Park. John Coston

The initial renovation of the park, located at 5991 N. Elm Ave., cost $2.2 million, and was completed in 2022.

That included regrading of the park, a new entrance and paved parking areas, a soccer field, accessible playground upgrades, new basketball courts and pavilion improvements.

A planned pool in the next phase would feature a pool house. In addition, the project envisions a commercial kitchen, community room and other community-oriented spaces.

Lighting of the Little League field for night games will be donated by a group of private citizens. Citizens will handle the installation of the lights from start to finish, then donate them to the Village of Millerton.

In addition to the baseball field, today families enjoy a pavillion, a children’s playground, the basketball courts and a soccer field.

The initial phase of the park’s restoration included new basketball courts. Olivia Valentine

The Village hopes to break ground on a pool in 2025.

“I spent a lot of time at the old Denney Pool as a kid and made many friends there, some I still keep in contact with,” said Waite.

“The pool served the community well for 50 years until closing in 2016. It’s taken eight long years, but I’m pleased that people will once again be swimming in Millerton in the not-too-distant future.

The pool, along with the rest of the park, will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Funding for this phase of the project is coming largely from a NY SWIMS capital grant that awarded $6.385 million to the village to build a community pool, a bathhouse, community room and septic system at the park. It was part of $38 million in grants to Dutchess County and towns and cities in the Mid-Hudson region just before Labor Day.

Learning on a two-wheeler with training wheels at Eddie Collins Park. John Coston