Lake Sebago Renovations to Complete by 2027

Governor Hochul has announced a major step forward in a $95.8 million project to rebuild Lake Sebago Beach at Harriman State Park with the award of a key construction contract to a New York company. The beach has been closed for more than a decade after being destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene. Reopening the Hudson Valley public swimming beach is a major component of Governor Hochul’s NY Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative.

“Our NY SWIMS initiative is creating more accessible and affordable places where families and communities can escape extreme heat and come together for fun and relaxation,” Governor Hochul said. “Lake Sebago Beach has been beloved since it opened in the early 1950s and I’m excited a new generation of New Yorkers will finally get to enjoy swimming at this treasured lakefront at Harriman State Park.”

The project’s construction contract was awarded to C-Squared Constructors LLC, of Wilton, NY, as general contractor for $80.8 million; previous contract awards went to Stantec Landscape Architecture and Geology PC, of Rochester, NY, as prime design consultant for $10 million and LiRo Program and Construction Management PE PC, of Syosset, NY, as construction manager for $5 million. The project is supported by $78.1 million from the state Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and $17.1 million is being provided from New York State Parks capital funding. Reconstruction of 48 acres of beach and surrounding areas is expected to start in spring 2026 and be completed by summer 2027.

Lake Sebago Beach has been closed since 2011 after being ruined by high winds and flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. The bathing beach was filled in with washed up sediments, and nearby trails and parking areas were damaged. Irene was one of the costliest storms in New York state history, creating more than a billion dollars in damages.

The rebuilt beach area will have new sand, repairs to the existing bathhouse, new restrooms, a capacity of more than 4,000 patrons and parking for at least 900 cars in three separate lots. There will be a 1,600-foot promenade along the lake, two brand new playgrounds, and picnic and game areas. To support agency energy goals, a photovoltaic solar array will be installed on the roof of the rehabilitated bathhouse and infrastructure will be installed to support EV charging stations in the main parking lot. A state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility is being constructed to support the restrooms and responsibly manage the ecology of the site.

To help the new facility better resist future storms and improve water quality at Lake Sebago, the project also includes the restoration of the former Stillwater Creek, which originally flowed into the lake from nearby Lake Kanawauke. Better able to reduce potential sediment deposits into the lake and absorb potential floodwaters, the restored creek and wetlands will replace an underground piping system between the lakes that was installed during the facility’s original construction in the early 1950s. A new bridge will carry traffic on Masonic Camp Road over the creek. The site has been designed to handle up to a 500-year storm’s intensity in order to avoid the kind of flood damage that occurred in 2011.