Voorheesville isn’t receiving funding local officials sought to enhance its end of the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail, but their vision is still in focus.
Earlier this month, Voorheesville officials learned the village’s application seeking $1.3 million of federal Transportation Alternatives Program funding was denied. Village Mayor Robert Conway said the denial was partially hinged on some items not being “transportation related.” The bid sought funding to slightly extend the trail and create additional parking and amenities, along with building a museum.
Applying for the grant did form a master plan for Voorheesville’s trailhead, which Conway is not ready to set aside.
“The fact that the money went away doesn’t mean that the ideas go away,” Conway said. “It might happen on a slower time schedule, but I think ultimately that will still be our goal.”
Conway expressed some some frustration over Voorheesville’s application being completely denied.
“The application was pretty exhaustive,” said Conway. “Our feeling is, red line the things that aren’t transportation-related and consider the ones that are, but that’s apparently not the way they operate.”
The village would have been responsible for covering 20 percent of the cost, or $260,000, if it was awarded the TAP grant. Local officials were looking to use in-kind services for its contribution.
This year, the village is planning to tackle a few smaller projects. Conway is looking to clear out and extend the trail from where it ends at Voorheesville Avenue to Grove Street. At the Pine Street trail entrance, he hopes to start clearing out a pathway to the trail.
Conway said the trail even gets a “fair amount” of use in the winter, and he expects this will likely increase this year.
To provide further enhancements, the village is looking at trying to receive grant funding in future years.
Long-term goals of its master plan include constructing an overlook tower with restroom facilities and constructing a railroad museum across the street from it. This would include roughly 50 paved parking spaces at the new trailhead off Grove Street, which wouldn’t require removing any trees.
Ideally, the museum would be constructed to replicate an old rail station or utilize an old rail car.
Regardless of steps the village is taking, Albany County officials have set a goal to pave the entire Rail Trail by the end of 2016.
Mary Rozak, spokeswoman for the county executive, said it’s expected that a $1 million Cleaner, Greener Communities grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will be used to pave the trail from Delmar to Voorheesville. This likely would not cover the entire cost though, according to Rozak.
Conway said the county’s paving goal “seemed a little optimistic,” but he believes the benchmark shows county officials’ dedication to the project.
This month, Rozak said, the county expects to issue a request for bids to begin construction on the “phase three” section of the Rail Trail project, which stretches from the trail’s current end in Delmar to a proposed trailhead parking lot along South Pearl Street in Albany. This work includes paving this portion of the trail.
The third phase project will cost around $4.1 million, and the goal is to complete it in the fall of next year. Grant funding covers most of the costs.
Federal funds are provided through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program and total $3.637 million. There is also $500,000 coming from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Presentation. The county must cover 20 percent of the project, or around $825,000.
The county has spent approximately $800,000 to date to open sections of the Rail Trail between Voorheesville and Bethlehem. There was also cash and in-kind assistance provided from the Friends of the Rail Trail, the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland and the Village of Voorheesville.