Cuomo’s $200M trail project gets close scrutiny from lawmakers
Published 5:34 pm Thursday, February 23, 2017
- MorgueFile
ALBANY — With the deadline for an on-time state budget five weeks away, the fate of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to spend $200 million in public money to connect New York City, the Canadian border north of Plattsburgh and western New York with a hiking and biking trail is anything but certain.
Even some lawmakers who agree with Cuomo that such a trail would help boost tourism in upstate communities say they have concerns about how the costs of maintaining the pathways would be financed. The $200 million sought by the governor would be dedicated to paying only for its construction.
Of the various initiatives highlighted by Cuomo during his January “State of the State” addresses, the trail idea has drawn the least enthusiastic public reception, according to a poll released by Siena College in late January. It found that 52 percent of respondents oppose the project.
But environmental and recreation groups such as the nonprofit Parks & Trails New York and Scenic Hudson have been strongly supportive, and a lobbying day aimed at winning over lawmakers who have not made up their minds is to be held next week.
Some of the strongest reservations are coming from lawmakers whose districts do not lie within the footprint of a trail that would cross 27 counties.
At a legislative budget hearing, the chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Parks and the Arts, Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell, D-Manhattan, told state Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey, a Cuomo appointee, that state parks “are in desperate need for a capital infusion” because of years of inadequate maintenance.
“The parks have major capital needs and it would seem that the $200 million may be better spent if it was divided between the beaches of Long Island, the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes and the Thousand Islands,” O’Donnell said.
And the influential chairman of the Environmental Committee, Assemblyman Steve Englebright, D-Nassau County, while calling the goal of a statewide trail “wonderful,” said he was disappointed that Long Island is cut out of the plan.
What Cuomo calls the Empire State Trail would complete and link two existing pathways — the Erie Canalway Trail and the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail — in three phases of construction, with the last leg of the extension, running to the Canadian border, completed in 2020.
A Republican some GOP leaders say could become a candidate for statewide office next year, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, said he is convinced the Empire Trail would have positive economic impacts and help employers near it with their recruiting of job candidates.
He noted the Dutchess Rail Trail, which would become a component of the state system, has been highly successful, noting such trails are accessible to people whose special needs prevent them from climbing the Adirondacks.
“Rail trails are unique because they provide an opportunity for anyone of any ability to experience parts of nature that they otherwise might not have the opportunity,” Molinaro said.
Robin Dropkin, director of Parks & Trails, said Cuomo is showing the same kind of “foresight” that led to the completion of the Erie Canal two centuries ago. She said the Erie Canalway alone provides more than $250 million in economic benefits to nearby communities and gets some 1.6 million visits annually. If New York gets what would be the nation’s longest multi-use trail, it will become a major drawing card for outdoor enthusiasts, she said.
“This will make New York a premium trail state,” she said, adding that the extraordinary length of the system would attract those who prefer “big goals.”
Sen. Betty Little, R-Warren County, who represents a swath of the North Country from the Canadian border to Lake George, said she has safety concerns, as some using the trail could be inexperienced bikers or people with young children.
She also said she wants questions answered about maintenance obligations and how emergency services would be deployed to protect the public. Ultimately, lawmakers will have to decide whether the project is “feasible” when sized up against other spending needs, Little said.
The Empire State Trail in traversing upstate near the Erie Canal would cross Herkimer County, part of the district of Sen. Jim Seward, R-Otsego County. He said while he sees potential positive impacts for tourism along the route, he wants to ensure that state parks get the upgrades they need.
“There is some additional money in the budget for the parks system, but it is nowhere near enough to meet the big need that is out there,” he said. Seward also there are questions about by whom and how the trails will be kept up.
Randy Simons, spokesman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said under Cuomo’s plan the trail would be maintained “collectively” by the state and county and local governments.
State investments in tourism have generally paid off as a driver of economic development, said Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Franklin County, in describing himself as largely supportive of the initiative.
He noted, though, that “I would like to see the trail extend further into my district.”
Because the Erie Canal has been a beacon for visitors to Niagara County, said freshman Assemblyman Michael Norris, R-Lockport, he expects to support Cuomo’s proposal.
“I think it will enhance tourism in our canal towns,” he said.
Joe Mahoney covers the New York Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach him at jmahoney@cnhi.com
