NORWICH - The Chenango Greenway Conservancy unveiled a large wooden kiosk Thursday, at Patsy’s Riverview park.

The kiosk explains how the Chenango River serves as a migration route for birds and what visitors might spot from the riverbank.

“It’s really intended to be a gateway to the river trails in Norwich,” said Sharon Pelosi, the conservancy’s chairperson. Visitors can park at the site and walk north or south along the river, she said.

The five-acre river front park is located at the end of Sheldon Street. Sharon Pelosi, the conservancy’s chairperson, said the kiosk’s construction, artwork and panels represent the culmination of a long-running project funded by the Mirabito Foundation. She said Patsy’s Riverview is a great spot to watch birds along the Chenango River.

“So we’ve created some interpretive panels here to help people understand the role in that and what they might expect to see here when they’re here,” she said.

The project was completed by a handful of hiking club volunteers with less than $400 in lumber and hand dug holes four feet deep.

The kiosk was built by the Bullthistle Hiking Club, with members Steve Ellsworth and Larry Chesebro doing much of the work. Pelosi called their efforts “Magnificent and all done by volunteers.”

Ellsworth said the effort began when someone at a meeting mentioned that a timber-frame company in Vermont would charge an estimated $3,000 or $4,000 to build the structure.

“Larry was there. We looked at each other and said we could do it,” Ellsworth said.

He estimated the lumber cost less than $400, although other materials added to the expense. The pair cut and notched the wood in Chesebro’s barn in Norwich.

Ellsworth credited V&S Galvanizing in Owego and Bryant Myers for the company’s donated work on the kiosk’s metal channels, describing it as a community contribution. He also credited Chad Wilcox for covering the cost of a concrete mixer.

Before the ribbon cutting, the conservancy presented the builders with gifts in thanks for their multiple trips to the site and hours of labor.

Patsy’s Riverview is named for Patsy Smith, who donated the land to the conservancy in 2019, Pelosi said.

The Smith family had owned the property in conjunction with its Ford dealership and kept the riverfront parcel after selling the business. The park opened in 2023 with walking paths, a riverfront patio, benches and a gravel parking area.

The trail connects from Patsy’s Riverview to Greenway Park and Baker Dog Park and goes north along the river.

The conservancy’s next project at the site will tackle invasive plants, including Japanese knotweed and knapweed, Pelosi said. The goal is to bring their growth under control so the property can be transformed into pollinator habitat.

Founded in 2006, the Chenango Greenway Conservancy works to conserve and improve public access to trails and green space in Chenango County. Its volunteers develop and maintain recreational trails in and around Norwich.