Who: The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
What: Public Information Meeting for a New Section of the Erie Canalway Trail (opens in a new tab) from Amsterdam to Pattersonville
When/Where: 6-9 p.m., Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Florida Town Hall & Highway Department (opens in a new tab) , 167 Fort Hunter Rd., Amsterdam, N.Y. 12010
The New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will be holding a public hearing on the planned development of the Erie Canalway Trail from Amsterdam to Pattersonville. The new section will add a new 4.6 mile non-motorized segment to the trail that spans over 380 miles from Albany to Buffalo.
The consulting firm Barton and Loguidice will be presenting plans for the construction and will encourage feedback from the audience. Informational material and images of the project will be on display.
The new addition is along the Mohawk River and will help to connect bicyclists and pedestrians to other parts of the trail network which expands through much of the Capital Region and beyond. The addition will also include the rehabilitation of two bridges and a new parking lot located at Lock E-10. It is located in both Montgomery and Schenectady Counties and is another step in the continuing effort to connect this non-motorized trail along the historic Erie Canal.
The project is part of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s “Closing the Gap” campaign started in 2010 in partnership with Parks & Trails New York and the Canalway Trails Association New York. It is funded by a $980,000 Transportation Enhancement Program grant through the Department of Transportation in Region 2 of New York State. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation will be contributing an additional $245,000 for a total of over $1.2 million going towards the project.
The meeting will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13, at the Florida Town Hall and Highway Department, located at 167 Fort Hunter Rd., Amsterdam, N.Y. 12010. Public comments are welcomed and will be considered as plans for construction are finalized. There will also be the option of submitting written comments about the trail addition, which will be accepted until Friday, April 29, 2016 and may be submitted by email to Christopher.More@parks.ny.gov (opens in a new tab) or by mail to Saratoga Spa State Park, Attn: Christopher More, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 62 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com (opens in a new tab) , connect on Facebook (opens in a new tab) , or follow on Twitter (opens in a new tab) .