ALBANY COUNTY — The mood was celebratory on Friday as legislators and leaders from across Albany County gathered in Menands’ Ganser Smith Park to accept grants to improve their parks.

“This morning we are awarding over $225,000 to 16 municipalities with a goal and a purpose to enhance and develop city, town, and village-owned parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities across Albany County,” said Joanne Cunningham, who chairs the county legislature.

“You can see why we love to do this,” she went on, speaking from the park’s gazebo. “We are putting in motion with tax dollars of Albany County residents improvements.”

Cunningham noted that last year, the county gave $150,000 in grants to 32 parks.

She also said the many proposals the county received, which were reviewed and evaluated by a committee, showed “diligence and thoughtfulness.”

“What we have here is an opportunity for all these municipalities to take the projects they have been thinking about and working on for a period of time and actually have the funds to bring them to fruition,” said Tim Lane, the county legislator representing Menands.

Brian Marsh, the mayor of Menands, said of Ganser Smith Park, “This is our showcase park for the village of Menands …. The bling of the park isn’t necessarily the expensive part.”

Referencing the playgrounds and gazebos as bling, he said, the costly part is the infrastructure. “It’s drainage, it’s parking areas, it’s lighting, it’s bathrooms. It’s the things that, let’s face it, aren’t that sexy.”

The funding for the Menands park will make it more ADA-compliant, widening travel lanes and moving accessible parking spades.

Wanda Willingham, deputy chairwoman of the legislature, said, “This program gives us a chance to create and improve spaces in our county where children of all ages can access safe fun and freedom.

She went on, “For kids living in historically marginalized and underserved communities that are often brimming with concrete buildings and paid parking lots, this is a critical need that is often overlooked. Every weekend, I see the joy and the fun that parks create. I see how these green spaces help people from all walks of life connect.”

These parks in the Enterprise coverage area received funds:

— Altamont’s Bozenkill Park received $15,000 that will be used to upgrade the park pavilion;

— Berne’s town park received $15,000, which will be used to create a new nature trail and to install poles with solar lighting;

— Bethlehem’s Heath Farm got $15,000 to build an informational kiosk, a streamside pocket garden, a a new public art installation on the outside of the historic Heath Farm barn;

— Guilderland’s Tawasentha Park, which gets over 500 visitors annually, received $15,000 to install two shade structures near the town’s pool;

— Voorheesville’s Scotch Pine Park $15,000 to upgrade its playground, making it more accessible and to include equipment for toddlers; and

— Westerlo got two grants of $15,000 each for a playground at the town hall and for its Veterans Memorial Park.