Saugerties town and village officials agree that a walkway from areas near the village, primarily Barclay Heights into the village, would improve safety and encourage bicyclists to leave their cars at home. The question both boards must answer is how to pay for the local share.
Town supervisor Fred Costello and deputy supervisor Leeanne Thornton attended the village board meeting on Tuesday, January 2 to discuss the village’s participation in applying for a grant that would provide a walkway along Route 9W that would connect the road with village streets. The town is applying for $4,438,000 through a federal grant administered by the state, Thornton said; the maximum grant through the state Transportation Assistance Program is $5 million.
The proposed walkway would begin at the intersection of Routes 32 and 9W and continue into the village, ending at Trinity Episcopal Church.
“This is a unique opportunity, Costello said. “As the community has grown, there has always been a lack of a connection between the village proper and the residents of Barclay Heights, and this is a unique opportunity to make that happen.” A possible outcome could be that the DOT (New York State Department of Transportation) would be interested in providing improvements in the area. “The SAMA (Saugerties Area Mobility Analysis) study that we participated in 17 years ago pointed to a number of improvements that would enhance traffic safety, pedestrian safety and a better quality of life for everyone,” said Thornton. “Very little of that has been implemented since then.”
The grant would provide 80 percent of the cost of the improvements, while the local share would be 20 percent, Costello said.
“We’re about five percent of the 20 percent based on the length of the walkway that would be in the village, versus the town,” said mayor Bill Murphy.
“If you guys can do the five percent, we’ll figure out a way to do the balance,” Costello said.
About five weeks ago, Dennis Doyle, the director of the Ulster County Planning Department and Brian Slack, principal transportation planner, attended a meeting of the Saugerties transportation advisory committee, Thornton said. “They let us know that Governor Hochul had created a fund of $165 million for New York State communities to basically support investments in redesign of either old railroad corridors or sidewalks — anything that would connect pedestrian, bicycle opportunities and make communities handicapped accessible and ADA compliant. So basically the funding is there.”
Thornton said that both Doyle and Slack said that “Saugerties is a perfect place to apply for funding like this.”
Thornton explained that there has been an increase in accidents involving pedestrians, including some fatalities in the 9W corridor. The recently announced grant would allow the town and village to separate pedestrians from traffic along the roadway frequently used by residents of nearby housing developments and homes. The project would create a “side path,” not a full sidewalk. It would be separated from traffic either by plantings or by a fence in areas too narrow for plantings.
“We had some procedures to follow, one was to get an engineering study done as quickly as we could to get the reapplication in, which we did; we made the deadline by November 30. The preliminary work has been done; the balance of the funding must still be obtained,” Thornton said.
The project has the support of the business community. “In going to the different businesses in the corridor, their first comment has been, finally; oh my God, what do I have to sign?” One proprietor asked whether it would be a good idea for him to write a letter of support on his own. He said he had seen people of all ages walking along the side of the road, and it is dangerous. Another told her someone had been killed walking along the road side.
Looking ahead, “consider the possibility that there could be another senior apartment complex in Barclay Heights, Thornton said. “You’ve got the Summit Apartments that are there; you’ve got the Glasco Turnpike housing. There’s going to be more and more vehicle transportation.”
Thornton explained that the pathway would not be concrete, but would be paved, possibly blacktop.
“That leads to the question of who would be responsible for plowing it?” asked trustee Terry Parisian. When the road is plowed, “you will get huge amounts of snow thrown onto that path. Who will be responsible for removing it?”
Trustee Vincent Buono said the town and village may not have as much right of way as it thinks it does. “We may have to deal with the property owners [who border Route 9W].” Thornton said there are 26 property owners.
“This is not the first time we have talked about this,” said trustee Donald Hackett. “Fourteen years ago [former trustee] Suzanne LeBlanc presented this to the board. She has a tremendous amount of information about this project. She presented it to this board as a gateway to our community.” He suggested contacting LeBlanc in the discussion.
Mayor Murphy said he is generally supportive of the idea, but he is concerned about it, especially in the winter. “Do you know how much liability this would cost us if we’re late getting it cleared one day and somebody slips and falls? We’re creating a liability issue.” Murphy said he is also concerned about snowplows clearing the roadway that could be dumping a lot of snow on the walkway. The village is not liable now because Route 9W is a state road, he said.
If the project is approved, the town and village would have to come up with 20 percent of the cost; with the town covering 15 percent and the village five percent, based on the length of the pathway in each municipality, Costello said. He believes that local businesses that would benefit from the pathway would be willing to contribute.
“With towns and villages from all over the state applying for this funding, it is not certain that Saugerties will be successful in obtaining this funding, but it is too good a possibility to not apply,” said Costello.
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