Ted Putney to represent Albany County on Hudson River entity
A longtime Bethlehem resident will be representing Albany County on the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council.
County Executive Michael Breslin recently appointed Freeman (Ted) Putney to fill the a vacancy on the council. A longtime Bethlehem resident, Putney said he was honored to have been selected, and that he would aim to secure the county’s fair share of Greenway grant funding.
I hope just to simply make other members of the council aware of the position of Albany County, and the importance of the river to Albany County, he said. `The river itself is important to the ports, both in Albany, Coeymans and Bethlehem.`
The Bethlehem Town Board passed a resolution recommending Putney for the position on March 25.
`Ted is an excellent appointment to the council because of his years of experience with a broad range of environmental organizations and his lifelong commitment to conservation,` Supervisor Sam Messina said.
The next quarterly meeting of the council is scheduled for June 9. The council is a 28-member entity`including a representative from each of the 10 counties lining the Hudson River`that meets in locations around the valley.
The Greenway Council and Conservancy are aimed at promoting trails along the river, encouraging sustainable planning and protecting and promoting the valley’s status as a National Heritage Area, said Executive Director Mark Castiglione.
`We do that by helping communities work together, to do regional planning and to advance regional goals in their local initiatives,` he said. `We’re thrilled to have Mr. Putney come on board to the Greenway and helping us to advance our mission.`
The Greenway Conservancy, a public benefit organization, also secures many grants for various uses along the valley.
Putney has a history of involvement in town government, including serving on the Town Board from 1994 through 1997, serving on the town Industrial Development Agency and taking part in the 20/20 Advisory Committee. He’s also a trustee of the Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy advisor committee.
Now retired, Putney lives near the town’s Henry Hudson Park, where erosion of the Hudson’s bank is threatening town land. This is a problem that is repeated along the river, said Putney, and needs to be addressed.
The entire eastern border of the Town of Bethlehem consists of the Hudson, making it an underutilized resource, said Putney.
`We have a rather extensive waterfront, some of which could be developed to a greater extent than it has been,` he said.
He also said a greater effort should be made to publicize the value of the river to those near and far.
`Tourism is always a thing that needs to be promoted, because there are a lot of good tourist destinations around, and getting people to stay close to home and enjoy the Hudson River Valley is important,` Putney said.
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