HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-20Dryden Rail Trail Friends and Task Force
Minutes of the September 20, 2021 Meeting
Via Zoom
Attendance: Bob Beck, Alice Green, Todd Bittner, Judy Pierpont, Rose Borsik, Susan
Ashdown , Chris and Diane Tessaglia Hymes, Dan Lamb, John Lampman, Loren
Sparling, Tony and Janice Brescher, Jolene Lyon, Shirley Lyon, Moira Scheuring,
Maude of Etna Absent TF members: Steve and David F.
JAKR and ipadair 2020 refused to introduce selves; 4 persons entered the meeting
at 8:51 pm and disrupted it.
Call to Order at 7:05 – Bob, Alice
Additions to Agenda – Reports on FB page; Chris asked to add report on FB page
and recent historical railroad research.
Introductions
Approval Of June and July Minutes - unanimous
Ugly Sweater 5K Run
This event, organized by Willow Running, has been scheduled for Sunday Nov. 28 on
the Trail. Some volunteers will be needed.
Second Triad Foundation grant received
Second $15,000 grant was received from the Triad Foundation. This one will go to a
section of the trail between Monkey Run and Pinckney Rd. This is also a match for
the TAP and NYS Parks grants. ADA compliant surfacing materials can be covered
under the NYS Parks grant
Info Tables at Ellis Hollow Fair and Ithaca’s Streets Alive Festival
Alice reported that informational tables at the two events generated at least three
dozen new trail supporters for the list serve.
Completion of Game Farm trestle and trail work by Town DPW
Summary of costs for Game Farm work
Bob reiterated that the Game Farm work is now complete. He described the steps in
the process of restoring trestles and resurfacing the trail with stone dust. It’s not
quite ready to be opened. He thanks Dryden Highway and DPW crews for a great
job there. Costs have come in at budget or lower. It appears the costs were about
$30K for Materials and the same for labor. This is partly paid for by a NYS State
Parks grant and the first $15K grant from the Triad Foundation.
Todd noted that Bob has created an extensive spread sheet showing grant funding
and match capabilities. This is a work in progress and will be ready to share at our
next meeting. This will help identify how much is left in the State Parks grant that
can be applied to other sections of the trail
Update on Game Farm Rd Crossing Plan
Bob noted that John Lampman created the plan that has been submitted to the
county and the two towns as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between
the county and the towns. Right now it’s awaiting approval by Jeff Smith, County
Highway Superintendent.
Safety measures will include signs, striping, bollards and gates. John asked if the TF
has heard from the county. Bob said not yet. The Town of Ithaca is on board to
share the costs for the crossing, which involves users from both trails.
Bob said it’s still unresolved whether the State Parks grant will cover the costs of
crossings. This will be resolved when the State Parks grant contract is signed.
Plan for Trail Opening at Game Farm
Since we don’t yet know the date for the approval of the crossing plan, it’s not easy
to set a date for the soft opening. It’s been suggested there could be a walk/bike
event from Game Farm to Route 13 and back. The Task Force would invite the
individual supporters and representatives from the several hiking, running and
biking groups in the area, as well as local media for the soft opening celebration.
Susan suggested a bike/walk event this fall from Game Farm to Route 13 and back.
Todd noted that the logistics will include parking, and whether to have speakers etc.
Bob listed many biking, hiking and running organizations that can be involved.
Judy suggested having two bike-riding groups from East Ithaca Rec Way and from
DRT which could meet at the trails’ connection. Susan suggested a food truck.
Pinckney Rd. Crossing and Alternative Trail Route Discussion
Bob introduced the topic. Design Connect student group that worked with the DRT
did a plan for portions of the trail; they did include suggestions for alternate routes
that included by Fall Creek and under the Route 13 bridge.
Bob did bushwhack through the suggested alternate route near Fall Creek several
years ago (2016), and found that it would take a lot of work to build a trail through
there crossing ravines, steep slopes, creeks and wetlands. This area is a Cornell
Botanic Gardens’ Natural Area and is designated as a Tompkins County Unique
Natural area, all of which deserve full protection from development. This would be
expensive. Conclusion early in the project was that it wasn’t appropriate to pursue
this route; and it made sense to stick with the rail bed.
Task Force members did look at the fact that the trail would go through the light
industrial park and recognizing that the trail travels next to Hanson Aggregates.
They got agreements from both Hanson and Pro-Lawn LLC to stick with the rail bed.
The rail bed is separate from the driveway at Hanson Aggregates, passing away from
the activity on their property. Likewise at the new business activity at the Pro-Lawn
property, the rail bed is separate from that activity. The conclusion was that it is
important that the trail should not miss this developing node; it passes through and
does not interfere with activity there, but rather supports drawing new businesses
to the node. Bob said the TF has paid attention to all road crossings for safety.
John Lampman reported that the Hanson driveway approaches Pinckney Rd at less
than perpendicular angle, and allows only for trucks turning south, toward Route
13. Turning on to the road, trucks would immediately enter the trail crossing. This
is not a big concern, and there’s not a lot of traffic, except during certain
construction times. Right now there’s a lot of vegetation there, which would be
cleared by volunteers or DPW to make the intersection safer. Stop signs are
typically used at this kind of intersection. A flashing signal could be used to signal
trucks, and also truck crossing signs on the trail to inform users that trucks may be
crossing there.
Bob said some of the suggested mitigations are already covered in the Hanson
easement; part of the agreement is to plant a vegetative hedge across much of the
property where it’s open.
Trail Alternative Feasibility Assessment - Todd
Todd presented the following:
Feasibility Assessment for an ADA accessible, 10 foot-wide multimodal trail
located within the Monkey Run Natural Area with the following alignment: from a
point on the west side of Route 13 leaving the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad bed, then
paralleling Route 13 northwest and under the Route 13 bridge over Fall Creek, and
continuing to Pinckney Road.
Cornell University owns and manages the Monkey Run Natural Area to support
its academic mission.
The natural area includes a section of Fall Creek, a riparian corridor, wetlands,
steep wooded bluffs, steep ravines, and upland forests.
The Monkey Run Natural Area is recognized as a Tompkins County Unique
Natural Area.
Monkey Run falls within Tomkins County Natural Features Focus Area for Fall
Creek. The Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan calls to “Preserve natural
features and ecosystems, especially within the Natural Features Focus Areas.”
The Dryden Comprehensive Plan calls to, “Preserve the natural open space
resources, environmentally sensitive areas and unique flora and, fauna of the
town as it develops in the coming decade.”
Cornell University provided an easement to the Town of Dryden for the
construction of a spur trail to the Dryden Rail Trail from a point on the west
side of Route 13 leaving the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad bed, then
paralleling Rt. 13 northwest and under the Route 13 bridge over Fall Creek.
Cornell has not provided an easement for any trail construction for the
property between Rt. 13 and Pinckney Road.
The constraints of the site and property ownership would allow for only two
possible locations for a trail between Rt. 13 and Pinckney Roads, either
following Fall Creek in the riparian corridor or through the upland forest with
terminating sections in the riparian corridor.
Either trail alternative in total would be over 1.05 miles. The riparian
alternative would need to be located within the 100-year floodplain, and cross
multiple wetlands and smaller streams. An upland trail would need to be
located partially within the 100-year floodplain, accommodate over 50 feet of
elevation change, and cross multiple ravines.
Wetland impacts for the riparian alternative would total over 4 acres and
require wetland mitigation measures above and beyond any Cornell may
require. Forest impacts for the upland alternative would total between 9 and
27 acres of forest and over 2 acre of wetlands. U.S. Army Corp and New York
State Dept. of Environmental Conservation permitting would be required for
either alternative.
Fall Creek is the drinking water supply for Cornell University and the Forest
Home Community. The loss of habitat and disturbance from the trail
construction would negatively impact water quality.
Given the extensive negative impacts of either alternative, the natural
resources of the site would be irreparably harmed by the trail and associated
construction disturbance.
Research and educational use of the natural area for Cornell University and
other educational institutions would be negatively and irreparably impacted.
Given these negative environmental and educational impacts, Cornell
University would not willingly provide an additional easement for the trail to
cross the property, and the use of eminent domain by the Town would be
necessary to acquire the property for the trail.
The Town of Dryden currently does not have grant funds to support the
construction of the trail in this part of Monkey Run, and therefore the Town
would need to fund the project in its entirety, or seek additional grant funds.
The Town of Dryden has identified a direct crossing with a bridge over Route
13 is the preferred alternative for crossing the highway and connecting Monkey
Run Road to Pinckney Road. This alternative requires the acquisition of
portions of two properties totaling 0.16 and 0.7 acres respectively.
If the Town did not complete the Rt. 13 bridge construction project, it would
need to return a total of $2M from four grants to New York State and Tompkins
County.
Owing to the challenging site conditions, ownership constraints, land
acquisition, and environmental impacts, the construction and long-term
maintenance cost for either alternative would likely exceed the cost for the
Town’s preferred alternative, which is a direct crossing over Rt. 13 via a bridge.
A motion to approve this assessment and forward it to the Planning Board was
made by Alice, and seconded by Rose. It was approved unanimously.
Social Media Update
Chris reported that after 70+ days the new Town of Dryden Rail Trail FB page has
more than 450 unique users. Diane and Chris posted about their research into an
alleged train wreck that has been thought to have happened in Etna. It actually
happed in 1940 in Port Jervis. This posting has reached over 7,000 people, with
nearly 500 positive reactions.
Diane shared a dated railroad tie nail from 1917 found when clearing the rail bed.
Folks have also been interested in posting about plants that are found along the
trail.
Rose shared that the Tioga County Historical Society has a current exhibit about
railroad history in the Village of Owego.
Next meeting scheduled for Monday Oct. 18; location TBA.
Todd suggested we try to find a large space to meet in person.
Adjournment abruptly after a Zoom bomb at 8:51 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Alice Walsh Green.