WESTFORD _ Betty and Wilbur Davis were at the park named in their honor Tuesday for a ceremony to mark more than $300,000 in improvements to the property they gave the state for public recreation.
Administrators, construction crews and park managers joined Davis family members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and luncheon in the Sunset Pavilion, located atop a hill where a breeze cooled the August heat.
"I want to thank everyone who came here today," Wilbur said to about 55 guests. "Have an enjoyable day."
State officials thanked the couple for transforming a family getaway into a park that will be enjoyed for generations. The appreciation was extended to crews who worked on improvements, including the Sunset Pavilion, which offered a bucolic view of tree-covered hills stretching along the horizon.
"Look at what we have," said Carol Ash, commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Ash said the Davises, married 72 years, have shown devotion not only to each other but also to the park, where they wanted to see children play, people rest and the beauty of the countryside preserved.
The state park is located on Davis Road, off of county Route 36A, in Westford. The park is a satellite facility of Glimmerglass State Park.
Crews continue some work at the park but have completed extensive improvements, including building a playground, public restrooms, park office, entrance road and parking lot.
The couple, who treasured their 190-acre property, donated the land to the state in 2001, according to a media release from the parks department. In total, the Davises have donated more than $2 million toward the park's development.
Betty and Wilbur Davis live in the Bronx and previously were Brooklyn residents. Wilbur, 98, was a funeral director for more than 40 years, and Betty, 93, said she had many jobs. They have ties to Otsego County from their youth.
Wilbur said they bought the Westford property 50 or more years ago from Betty's parents for $10 an acre, or $2,000 for 200 acres. They traveled from New York City to spend time in a house trailer on the property during summer and hunting season getaways, he said, and they still spend time in a cabin in the park.
Investments in the stock market resulted in their ability to make gifts of the park land and improvements, they said.
"We thought this would be a good thing to do," Wilbur said.
Joseph Ritton, supervisor of the local park since 2001, said his father and Wilbur were good friends. The improvements and state support meet the dreams the Davises had for the property, he said.
"They wanted to keep the land as natural as possible for the enjoyment of everybody," Ritton said. "Everybody gets to enjoy it from now on."
The improvements to Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park are part of an ongoing effort to revitalize state parks, the release said. During the past two years, the governor and Legislature authorized nearly $200 million in capital improvement spending for New York's 178 state parks and 35 historic sites. The infusion has enabled the state to begin addressing the estimated $650 million in capital needs of the parks system.
Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park has six full-service cabins that rent for $1,000 a week during the summer, officials said, and in the off-season, the cabins can be rented for $150 a night with a two-night minimum. The 1,000 square-foot cabins built of pine can accommodate eight guests and have hand-crafted furniture and modern amenities, including dishwashers and microwave ovens.
Park features include trails and two ponds for catch-and-release fishing. In winter, park visitors can go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, and snowmobile trails connect to the state corridor trail system, the release said.
Joseph Yankovich Jr., Betty Davis' brother, said his parents, Joseph and Anna, had eight children, and he was disappointed ``Yankovich'' wasn't represented in the park name somehow. Crops grown on the property supported the family farm in nearby Elk Creek, where he grew up, he said.
"It always has been a wonderful place," Yankovich, of Schenectady, said.
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