Town okays
rail trail plan
 |
| The Town of Hunter has approved entering into easements for the forthcoming Kaaterskill Rail Trail from Haines Falls to Laurel House Road, which will utilize the old Delaware & Hudson Railroad bed. (Courtesy M. Yost) |
By Jim Planck
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
By Jim Planck
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
HUNTER— The Town of Hunter is on board for a hiking/biking path from Haines Falls to the Kaaterskill Falls area.
Board members voted 4-0 at their November meeting to authorize Hunter Supervisor Dennis Lucas to sign easement contracts for the town to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the three involved property owners.
The path will primarily run along the route of the old Delaware & Hudson Railroad track — for which these types of activities are usually termed “rail trails” — from the former station house on the grounds of the Mountain Top Historical Society, in Haines Falls, to the end of Laurel House Road, which is then only a five minute walk from the top of Kaaterskill Falls.
Officially titled the “Kaaterskill Rail Trail,” the project has been shepherded by Michelle Yost, of the Watershed Assistance Program and Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Yost explained that the trail is somewhat of an alternate plan, in that it will swing around one property that is not on board, so that the route first heads out to Osborne Road, which runs south of and parallel to County Route 18 (North Lake Road), then follows the county road for a short distance, and then doubles back south along Featherbed Lane, a town road, where it picks up the old railroad bed heading east.
Yost thanked all three property owners — Anthony Bucca, Peter Dunn, and Charles Thorpe — for making the trail possible, and explained that Bucca’s property allows for the use of the alternate route, while Dunn’s and Thorpe’s comprise the bulk of the rail path.
Yost also thanked the town board for their support of the effort, and said she and all those involved — which includes a committee of volunteers who have been working to make it happen — all feel the trail will not only offer a substantial recreational opportunity for non-motorized uses, such as hiking and cycling, but will also add to the community’s economic coffers through tourism spinoff dollars.
Yost said Wednesday she anticipates reconvening of the trail committee in January to begin the next phase, which she said will be identifying construction and clearing needs, including drainage.
She said the hope is to have the trail open for public use within the next twelve months.
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
HUNTER— The Town of Hunter is on board for a hiking/biking path from Haines Falls to the Kaaterskill Falls area.
Board members voted 4-0 at their November meeting to authorize Hunter Supervisor Dennis Lucas to sign easement contracts for the town to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the three involved property owners.
The path will primarily run along the route of the old Delaware & Hudson Railroad track — for which these types of activities are usually termed “rail trails” — from the former station house on the grounds of the Mountain Top Historical Society, in Haines Falls, to the end of Laurel House Road, which is then only a five minute walk from the top of Kaaterskill Falls.
Officially titled the “Kaaterskill Rail Trail,” the project has been shepherded by Michelle Yost, of the Watershed Assistance Program and Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Yost explained that the trail is somewhat of an alternate plan, in that it will swing around one property that is not on board, so that the route first heads out to Osborne Road, which runs south of and parallel to County Route 18 (North Lake Road), then follows the county road for a short distance, and then doubles back south along Featherbed Lane, a town road, where it picks up the old railroad bed heading east.
Yost thanked all three property owners — Anthony Bucca, Peter Dunn, and Charles Thorpe — for making the trail possible, and explained that Bucca’s property allows for the use of the alternate route, while Dunn’s and Thorpe’s comprise the bulk of the rail path.
Yost also thanked the town board for their support of the effort, and said she and all those involved — which includes a committee of volunteers who have been working to make it happen — all feel the trail will not only offer a substantial recreational opportunity for non-motorized uses, such as hiking and cycling, but will also add to the community’s economic coffers through tourism spinoff dollars.
Yost said Wednesday she anticipates reconvening of the trail committee in January to begin the next phase, which she said will be identifying construction and clearing needs, including drainage.
She said the hope is to have the trail open for public use within the next twelve months.
No comments:
Post a Comment