HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-05-16
Dryden Rail Trail Friends and Task Force
Minutes of the Meeting Monday, May 16, 2022
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Houtz Hall (Etna Post Office building)
Attendance: Bob Beck, chairperson: Chris and Diane Tessaglia-Hymes, Susan Ashdown, Todd
Bittner, Tony and Janice Bretscher, Steve Winans, Alice Green, Dan Lamb, Judy Auble Zazzara,
Melissa Fadden.
Call to order at 7:05 pm – Bob Beck
Additions to agenda:
1) Game Farm Crossing update- Dan
2) Possible trail cleanup between Lake Rd and Purvis Rd. – Melissa Fadden
Melissa is interested in organizing volunteers to clean up the area from Lake Rd to Purvis
Road in the Jim Schug section of the Rail Trail. Chris suggested checking with Town
DPW to see if they could supply trash bags and collect the trash for disposal. He noted
that such volunteer operations often use brightly colored bags so they’re easy to identify
for pickup. Bob suggested calling Town DPW Secretary Katelyn Rich to ask about their
help for the project.
Todd said a section of that area at Purvis Rd. is managed by Cornell Natural Areas.
Staff cleared a lot of tires and debris at Purvis Wetland area last year. He suggested that if
there’s a lot of new trash being dumped there by people driving in along that stretch, it
may be necessary to make some barriers, like bollards, to prevent this.
Chris asked if this kind of clean up could be part of the work for teens in the Town of
Dryden’s a Project Lead summer program. Bob said he can check with the Town’s youth
services worker to see if this could be added to their schedule in August. Chris
suggested that it might work to schedule the cleanup annually in March/April before
foliage emerges and makes it more difficult to pull out litter.
Approval of April Minutes was unanimous.
Dryden Rail Trail updates – Bob
Streets Alive Event: Thanks to Tony, Janice, Bob and Rose for a successful afternoon at Streets
Alive in Ithaca on Sunday May 1. They said many people visited the table and expressed
support for the Dryden Rail Trail.
Dryden Dairy Day: This year Dairy Day is scheduled for June 11. Janice and Tony offered to
help at the Rail Trail table. Task Force members soon will get a schedule for table shifts and a
request to volunteer at this community gathering.
Signs about Parking for the Game Farm Trail section: Bob reported that the Town now has
signs directing people to parking at Stevenson Rd. and away from the crossing at Game Farm
Rd. They should be posted soon.
NYS Parks Rec & Historic Preservation Grant: Kathleen McIsaac called Bob this afternoon to
let him know that State Parks is satisfied with the Task Force’s letter explaining what the Town
would do if the DEC agreement expires without renewal after 20 years. (It’s expected to be
renewed.) This last ROW approval by OPRHP in Albany will now enable signing the contract
when we receive it.
Game Farm Crossing Update: Dan drafted a letter to DOT about a plan for the crossing at
Game Farm Rd. It requests a 600-foot speed reduction to 35 MPH for the crossing area. It
makes the case that this is an urgent need because of the dangerous situation. Assemblywoman
Anna Kelles’ office got involved in helping to set up a meeting with DOT in Albany. Dan hopes
that the direction from Albany will help move local highway officials to approve the pending
crossing plan.
Bob thanked Dan for his work to get the grant from Senator Kristin Gillibrand and for setting up
the press conference on the trail. Todd noted that a Gillibrand staff person said it would be great
to have the senator return for the ribbon cutting. Dan said it would be good to have Senator
Schumer as well, since he was also helpful in securing the $700K grant to fill the funding gap for
construction of the Route 13 bridge.
Broadband Project on Rail Trail Corridor: Susan noted that the broadband project is laying
fiber quickly for phase one of the pilot to provide high speed internet. The project is using the
old railroad corridor which the Town retained easements for back when the rail company
abandoned the spur. The Town has about $2 million in federal grants towards this project which
will make this the first municipally owned and operated broadband system in NYS.
Dan said some residents have called Town Hall to see if the fiber laying is trail related. He
said there’s been clarification that the Town is exercising its right by permanent easement to lay
utilities in the corridor.
Bob has talked with the Broadband project engineer about what parts of the project will
benefit the trail project. There may be culverts needed that could save the trail from having to
pay for a treatment at three separate washouts (upon approval of easements). One is at NYSEG,
one is near Etna Lane, and the other is closer to Freeville. There are tiny trestles in some spots,
but they will probably drill down under, or alongside of the trestles to lay the fiber. Bob said he
assumes the corridor must be finished enough to drive in for maintenance.
American Trails’ Advancing Trails Webinar
The Task Force Viewed and discussed a 4/28/22-recorded, illustrated rail-trail talk by Craig
Della Penna, sharing his decades of experience in developing rail trails.
June meeting scheduled for 7 pm June 20, 2022 at Dryden DPW
Adjournment at: 8:37 pm
Respectfully submitted: Alice Walsh Green