Watkins Glen State Park ...

Thank you for all you do for our community!

When the need for COVID testing in Schuyler County began to surge, representatives from the Watkins Glen State Park went into solution mode. Working in partnership with Guest Services, the contractor running the State Park's Cafe, State Park officials connected with representatives from the Department of Public Health and New York State Emergency Management to establish a temporary COVID testing site in the Cafe. Within a couple of weeks, a site was up and operational. During the height of the surge, the State Park testing site conducted between 25 and 50 tests a day. As the need relaxed, testing dipped to about 10 per day. The site operated six days a week through March 5.

According to Park Manager Ron Roney, the Cafe at the State Park was ideal because the tests could be conducted in a heated, indoor space and that space was centrally located.

"The cafe is welcoming, it was available due to the time of year, and it was nearly turn-key," said Ron. "Many thanks to our contractor. They were excited to partner with us and stepped forward immediately to help."