HVCC Students Building Float for Spring Festival

Students from Hudson Valley’s Civil Engineering Technology department are designing a floating sculpture for Albany’s 60th Annual Tulip Festival.

The twenty-two students involved in the project are in the department’s hydraulics and drainage class. Last semester, the department Chairperson, Dr. Christine LaPlante, was asked by the city of Albany’s Daniel Bauer to help with the design. The students started the actually designing this semester.

There are two parts to this sculpture. The main element is a 15 foot steel tulip that will float on the lake in Albany’s Washington Park. The second component will be floating steel lily pads. These will border the lake and are supposed to hold fire. On Tuesday, February 5th, the sculpture’s layout was presented to Mayor Jerry Jennings.

This year’s Tulip Festival will be from Friday, May 9th to Sunday, May 11th. The completed sculpture will be on display and there will be over 100 crafters who bring handmade art work of all kinds. There will also be an array of colorful tulips.