HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-15
Dryden Rail Trail Friends and Task Force
Minutes of the Meeting, 7-8:30 pm Monday, June 15, 2020
Via Zoom
Attendance: Bob Beck, John Kiefer, Dan Lamb, Bruno Schickel, Chris and Diane
Tessaglia-Hymes, Todd Bittner, Judy Pierpont, Nancy Munkenbeck, Alice Green,
Rose Borzik, David Fogel, Loren Sparling
Call to order at 7:05 pm – Bob Beck, Alice Green
February minutes approved.
Addition to agenda: Bruno report on easements
Multi-Modal Grant update – Alice, Bob
The Town of Dryden has received word from the NYS Department of Transportation that
a $500,000 Multi-Modal Transportation grant has been approved for the Town. The
majority of the grant, coordinated by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, will be applied to
costs of building the pedestrian bridge across Route 13 near Varna.
Posting of COVID-19 signs – Diane, Susan, Bob
Diane created, Susan laminated, and Susan & Bob posted new signs along the open
sections of the trail, with trail rules during the pandemic.
Construction of roofs for new kiosks – Bruno
Progress continues on trail amenities. Bruno has provided materials and overseen
completion of roofs for seven new kiosks, destined for intersections along the western
section of the trail from Route 13 to Game Farm Road.
Call for kiosk graphics content (Varna community & history, Fall Creek watershed,
Monkey Run natural history, Cascadilla Creek etc.) – Diane, Bob
With the kiosk structures in progress, there’s a need for photos and information about
each community the next sections of the trail will cross. People who are interested in
researching local history and descriptions of natural areas, and/or collecting photos for
the kiosk displays should contact Diane or Bob. Simon St.Laurent has kindly provided
useful info and photo sources for Varna history.
Ten benches to be installed – Bruno, Bob
Another trail installation project to be scheduled when possible: Assembly and
installation of 10 new benches, delivered last year to the Town Recreation Department
storage building.
Game Farm Road 3-way MOU update – Alice, Bob
Dryden and Ithaca Town Supervisors met with the County Attorney and Highway
Department Chief and agreed to go forward with a three-way memorandum of
understanding (MOU) drafted by the county and modified by Bob Beck. The MOU
spells out responsibilities for each municipality in the planning, creation and maintenance
of an at-grade crossing of Game Farm Rd. Retired County Highway engineer John
Lampman has volunteered to provide the plan for the intersection, and Town of Ithaca
Supervisor Rod Howe is working with an engineer at B&L of Syracuse, to approve the
plan.
TAP Grant / Erdman Anthony contract update (Subcommittee: Bob, Todd, John K,
John L, Bruno, Dan, Alice, Ray)
The Town of Dryden has approved the contract with Erdman Anthony to build the
pedestrian bridge crossing Route 13, and the state has committed the funding. The
subcommittee will schedule a meeting next month to prepare for a kick-off session with
the EA engineers and Region 3 NYSDOT.
Update on DEC Game Farm / OPRHP EPF conflict – Bob, Dan
Work on opening the Trail section through the Game Farm, including restoration of two
trestles, has been halted by DEC’s reversal on its stewardship agreement that authorized
the renovation. Instead, DEC engineers insisted on replacement of both trestles, and there
has been no reply to appeals.
The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation rejected the 3-year
stewardship agreement as inadequate to meet the requirements for the Environmental
Protection Fund grant awarded to the Trail in 2017. This is the only agreement rejected in
the complex process of getting state approval for the many trail ROW easements for the
EFP grant.
Finger Lakes State Parks Regional Director Fred Bonn offered to try to broker
negotiations with DEC that would allow the EFP grant work to go forward, but three
months have passed with no progress. The Town has been unable to claim reimbursement
for any of its work under the grant over the last 2 1/2 years, because of the holdup on
contract signing.
Bob and Alice met with Assemblywoman Lifton to brief her on the situation, and she
offered to apply political pressure if needed.
Dan asked the Task Force to hold off on public pressure till the end of June and allow him
to make one more appeal to the DEC officials with whom he worked to forge the original
stewardship agreement.
Application for County Parks & Trails Grant – Bob
Bob reported that he had applied in the 2020 cycle for this grant, but he is uncertain
whether the county will be able to fund grants this year. David F. said he was informed
that the Parks and Trails grants for local municipalities have likely been eliminated from
the 2020 County budget because of the severe revenue losses during the pandemic.
Easements Report – Bruno
Bruno said he continues to be hopeful about working out easements or workarounds that
will enable the trail to connect from Freeville to Etna.
July meeting: Scheduled for 7 pm July 20, 2020. Venue to be announced based on
COVID restrictions at the time.
Adjournment at 8:30 pm
Respectfully submitted by Alice Walsh Green