County project will take more time
Albany County has not been awarded a key Department of Energy grant that would have covered the remaining cost of constructing the county’s rail trail.
That $5 million block grant will not be coming through, county officials confirmed today. The rail trail project has secured $2.4 million in federal funding so far, but the trail will cost about $7.8 million.
The county will now been looking to a federal Department of Transportation `Tiger II` grant in the amount of $5.5 to $6 million Like the block grant, it’s comprised of stimulus money, said county spokeswoman Mary Dureya, who emphasized the county remains committed to completing the trail.
`We see it as a great asset to the community. It’s an exciting project and we know there a lot of excitement in the community for it,` she said.
The deadline for grant applications is August 23, but there’s no word on when award decisions will be made.
The news pushes back the eventual completion of the rail trail, a project already two decades in the making. The county purchased the trail corridor from the Canadian Pacific Railway in January using grant funds. Once completed, the 9-mile path will travel through the City of Albany, town of Bethlehem and New Scotland and the Village of Voorheesville.
Duryea said the county is still looking to build the trail in one fell swoop rather than in sections, largely because of cost.
`One, we don’t have the funds to even begin construction, and two, when we do construct the trail we want it to be as cost efficient as possible and building the trail all at once is the most cost efficient way,` she said.
About $3 million of the project’s total cost will be used to repair eight bridges, some of which lack even a proper deck. A bridge over New Scotland Road will be replaced with a pedestrian walkway to the tune of $1 million.
These and other safety issues also preclude the county from opening the trail to the public in sections, said Duryea.
But the group Friends of the Rail Trail`a committee of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy`thinks there are ways for the county to put shovels in the ground and open at least part of the trail.
`We think there may be a way to have folks get more immediate access to the trail before these long term funding solutions,` said Dan Rain, co-chair of FORT.
`We would also like to meet with the County soon to discuss ways to lend our continued support to the help make the trail more immediately accessible.`
He also said FORT would be willing to help with the grant applications and appreciates that the county is continuing the cause.
Duryea said it might not even be possible to expend the federal funds already secured, because they were assigned to complete the entire trail at a specific price. Changing the plan would affect those conditions. Spending the county’s own money is also off the table, she continued.
`The county is in a serious economic crisis right now,` she said. `We’re trying to balance cash every day here, and we just don’t even have funds to put up for the moment to be reimbursed later.`
The county will also seek a $20,000 grant from the Hudson River Greenway Conservancy and will continue to seek other grant opportunities, said Duryea. “