HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-19Dryden Rail Trail Friends and Task Force
Monday, November 19, 2018
Varna Community Center
Attendance: Susan Ashdown, Todd Bittner, Bruno Schickel, David Fogel, Diane and Chris
Tessaglia-Hymes, Cheryl and Travis Stelick, Alice Green, John Kiefer, Milo Richmond, Steve
Winans, Bob Beck, Rosalie Borzik, Marie McRae, Judy Pierpont, Nancy Munkenbeck
Call to order (7:00 p.m.) – Bob Beck
Additions to agenda – Alice asked to speak about inviting participation in tasks
Approval of October minutes - unanimous
Invitation for more participation in Task Force work
After recording monthly minutes since March 2016, Alice said she noticed that agendas
focus on reports from a small number of volunteers. She wants to reiterate that
participation is welcome from all who attend meetings. Perhaps there are more project
tasks that other volunteers could take on. Travis noted that it would be great to have
documentation of all the steps that have gone into the trail creation for future historical
reference. Rosalie volunteered as archivist. She invited people to send her pictures and
articles that tell the rail trail story. John said he will check with Historic Ithaca about their
guidelines for submitting material.
Kiosk installations (at Dryden Main Street and Freeville Factory Street) – Bruno
The last kiosk for the Dryden-Freeville trail section was installed near the Village Hall in
Freeville on a snowy day in early November. Bruno said he found the site had lots of water
just below the surface, and chunks of concrete. “It was like soup.” They backfilled and will
leave bracing in for the winter. More gravel will be added on top in the spring. David noted
that Freeville volunteers planted 14 trees around the village that same day.
Bruno said he and volunteers also dug a ditch for drainage along the trail near the Freeville
sewer plant and filled on the trail. It was super wet; now it’s passable. Down near George
Rd, they graded a trail section to create a crown to facilitate runoff. If the snow melts and
ground freezes before the end of the year, Bruno said he hopes to spread more gravel along
the trail and near George Road kiosk.
RMS donated 10 loads of gravel.
Kiosk graphics update – Diane, Todd, Chris, Bob
Diane posted a large mockup of the proposed graphic and content for all three panels in the
trail kiosks. See attached photos. (The sample for Freeville was later adapted to be used
during a “kiosk photo opp” at holiday festivities in Dryden on Dec. 1.
Diane recorded lots of feedback and suggestions, including:
• Add a list of all volunteers
• Use a railroad font and style for the kiosk name (David reminded the group that the
community design workshop identified a strong consensus for reinforcing rail road
themes) He described the Lehigh Valley style.
• Make sure the kiosk mapping considers the entire Rail Trail, including the Jim Schug
section
• Match the sections and legends on the small and larger maps
• Trail maps should conform with those included in IthacaTrails.org
• Need to have volunteers who can provide historical content (suggestions were
Town Historian Harry Weldon and Freeville Historian Kristen Olsen)
• Appreciation for the phrasing “Enjoy the Trail” above the Rules and Etiquette
section
• Like the invitation to tag photos #DrydenRailTrail
• Make the panel sections removable and changeable as new info comes in
• Thank you to Dianne for her hours of graphic design work
AARP: Plan to prepare grant report – Bob, Alice
The completion of kiosk and bench installations came within the deadline for completing
the AARP grant work. The Town received the $8,000 national award in advance of
construction, allowing for the purchase of materials. Deadline for completing the required
project report is Dec.3. If there are photos to submit, please send to Bob or Alice.
Gift Policy update – Alice, John, Bruno
Alice reported that the Town Board approved minor changes to the gift policy drafted by
John K and recommended to the Board by the Task Force in October. Donations for naming
rights to allow memorials and honoraria on the benches were increased from $750 to $800,
to include costs for the Town to provide standard plaques.
Bruno reported that two benches in the Dryden to Freeville trail section were dedicated to
the memory of Stephanie Gardner in an Oct.28 ceremony attended by about 40 persons.
Judy said she will continue to volunteer writing thank you notes to donors. She will work
with the Town Clerk and Supervisor’s secretary to assure that donors are acknowledged for
the exact amount of their gifts.
Finalize report for County Strategic Tourism Initiative (STI) grant/ Game Farm
trestles
Bob conferred with Nick Helmholdt, County Tourism Program Director, about whether
work on trestle inspections can be covered in the scope of the already awarded county
grant. It appears it can. It turned out when TG Miller engineers looked at the trestles there is
more deterioration than expected; their work and report is nearly complete.
ROW Updates – Bob, Bruno, Dan
Meeting w/NYSDOT at Dryden Main Street crossing
Bruno and Bob met with 3 DOT representatives regarding safe crossing from the end of the
Jim Schug Trail section near Agway on West Main St to the other side, near the Rochester St.
intersection. DOT requires that the crossing be as straight as possible, which will
necessitate new granite curb cuts, grading and adding striping. Steps include: hiring an
engineer to draw up the plan, submitting it to DOT, and putting it out to bid. Estimated cost
of this crossing will be $10-$15,000. Further work will wait till the spring.
Todd asked about signage at the crossing. Bob said Dryden Village’s flashing lights work
well; but there was some indication that these are no longer permitted on State roads. The
DOT staff who met with Bob and Bruno weren’t aware of any change, but they will research
the issue.
Kathy Perkins: easement pledged
Bob announced that after much discussion, a survey line provided by Mike Reagan and
sketches by Bruno, Kathy Perkins has pledged an easement at the edge of her property
behind her business, Toads Too. He added that this easement is critical to provide a path for
getting from DPW Drive to Factory St (to connect through to Etna). Kathy agreed to convey
an easement for 10 feet along the property line. A problem was that the Village Hall parking
lot extends into her property. Now it will be possible to bring the trail around the village lot.
The easement will go to the Village of Freeville for their approval.
M&R Entities/Gary Sloan.
Dan Lamb sent word that a new agreement has been achieved. The Town has agreed to
accept an easement in lieu of a deed to the ROW. At its December meeting, the Town Board
expects to accept this, along with two earlier received easements, Hanson Aggregates and
Dong & Guo (in other sections of the trail), and a quit claim deed to the FH Fox Bridge. The
Sloan easement and the Fox Bridge are the last two pieces needed for the trail sections
covered by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation grant.
OPRHP grant – Bob, John
Reimbursements for the $182,000 matching grant can be claimed from the date it was
approved, December 13, 2017, as soon as the contract is signed.
The next step toward the contract signing is submission of the Town Attorney’s attestation
that all the Right of Way parcels in the trail sections covered by the grant are correct. Bob is
working with Assistant Town Attorney, Peter Walsh, to complete and submit this Opinion of
Counsel document.
John has prepared Excel spreadsheets adapted from printed material received from State
Parks, and Bob is entering data for the year. These will document trail-related staff time and
expenditures from DPW and Town Hall, volunteer labor and local business donations of
materials and machine time.
Next, they will work with Kathleen McIsaac, OPRHP Grant Administrator, in preparing to
sign the State contract.
Reviewing past year and planning for future trail work – Bruno
Bruno estimated that about $61,000 worth of trail work has been done this year. He said
each of the three kiosks took about 35 hours to create. Dianne reported that she has
contributed about 12-13 hours in graphic design time. All volunteers are encouraged to
record and submit their volunteer hours to Bob.
Work that needs to be done in the spring includes repairs to the trestle bridges at the Game
Farm. These are a priority for focus so that section can be opened. Also, a boardwalk across
a wetland along the Route 13 spur trail leading to the underpass can be done in the spring.
This is covered by the NYS Parks grant. Over the winter, work will continue on signage and
informational content
Alice reported the Town was notified that the County is considering purchase of properties
for wetland and water source protection, and the County is agreeable to granting right of
way for the rail trail. If completed, it means the western section of the trail can reach all the
way from the Game Farm Road intersection to the Rte. 366 intersection in Etna.
Next meeting scheduled for 7 pm December 17 at the Freeville Village Hall
Adjournment at 8:45 pm
Respectfully submitted
Alice Walsh Green