Capital improvements to Saratoga Spa State Park will create a dazzling backdrop for fine art performances.Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposed budget would bring several benefits to the Capital District, particularly to its neglected state parks.

According to the Times Union, 26 parks were added to the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation during the Pataki administration even as the stewardship budget was flat-lined for 12 years. Spitzer's proposal would bring $3.55 million for infrastructure work at Albany County's John Boyd Thacher State Park in Albany County while nearby Thompson Lake State Park will get $250,000.

In Rensselaer County, Cherry Plain State Park will get $280,000, while the heavily used Grafton Lakes State Park will receive $800,000. In Saratoga County, Moreau State Park will get $1.9 million, and the flagship Saratoga Spa State Park, home of SPAC, will get $3.8 million for capital improvements.