CROWN POINT — Special kiosks intended to make visitors stop and explore designated "waypoint communities" along Lake Champlain are going in from Whitehall to Rouses Point.

The Crown Point-based Lakes To Locks Passage group says 32 new displays will be erected in pocket parks and other locations to encourage visitors to stop.

All are intended to be completed by the Champlain Quadricentennial next year, Lakes To Locks Passage Executive Director Janet Kennedy said.

"Ten are installed now, and 22 more are scheduled to be completed in 2009 for the quad. This is a 'place-based' tourism program that will deliver a meaningful experience to the byway traveler from the people who live here."

HELPS LOCAL ECONOMY
Lakes to Locks Passage is designated as an All-American Road in America's Byways and is dedicated to appreciation and revitalization of the natural, cultural, recreational and historic assets of the communities along the interconnected waterway of the upper Hudson River, Champlain Canal, Lake George and Lake Champlain in New York state.

Over the past several years, Lakes to Locks Passage has brought millions of dollars in National Scenic Byways grant money to the communities along the byway, Kennedy said.

"This all contributed to the economic revitalization of the region. Lakes to Locks Passage established a network of waypoint communities, multi-modal travel routes and a visitor information and interpretive program that unifies the byway's theme through its sites and attractions."

As a waypoint community of Lakes to Locks Passage, the Village of Port Henry serves as the hub for the Town of Moriah and the surrounding hamlets.

COMMUNITY PLAYS PART
The new kiosk on Main Street — as well as the staff at the Iron Center Mining and Railroad Museum — are prepared to "meet and greet" the byway visitors to the region, Champlain Valley Heritage Network member Barbara Brassard said.

"We'll direct them to the sites, attractions and businesses that will make their travels enjoyable."

The third panel of the kiosk is a community bulletin board, which will be managed by Janet Denney of RSVP.

She said anyone with notices for the kiosk should drop them off at the Retired Senior Volunteer Program office in the Moriah Town Hall.

"Next, we're going to clean the park up and plant flowers around the kiosk."

The project was funded through a National Scenic Byways grant, administered by Lakes to Locks Passage, with matching funds provided by the Town of Moriah Beautification Program.

Lakes to Locks Passage also got $76,000 in federal grant money to develop and start the Ambassadors Program, recruiting, training and retaining the staff and volunteers at the designated Heritage Centers and byway destinations.

The Port Henry Public Works Department installed the kiosk in the Mac's Market pocket park. Virginia Westbrook, coordinator of the Champlain Valley Heritage Network, developed the text and collected the pictures seen on the kiosk.

MORE ON THE WAY
The kiosk is just one of the planned improvements being implemented by Champlain Valley communities in preparation for the quadricentennial in 2009, Kennedy said.

"The challenge we face is that we have a large region, with many stories to tell. Over the past several years, Lakes to Locks Passage has developed marketing and interpretation plans that are geared to attract visitors and get them to move through the region in a seamless manner."

Each kiosk costs about $7,500. Some of the other waypoint communities that will get kiosks in time for the quadricentennial are Chazy, Crown Point, Elizabethtown, Essex, Keeseville, Plattsburgh, Rouses Point, Ticonderoga, Peru, Westport and Willsboro.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com