Blacktop sidewalk plan approved in New Paltz

Village of New Paltz trustees are moving ahead with a sidewalk replacement plan on Prospect Street that will involve removing the remaining historic bluestone in order to install a safer and more useful one made from asphalt. A last-ditch effort to preserve and potentially expand the stone walks over time was declined due to the short-term expense needed for such a long-term investment. 

Only one advocate for stone was present: June Wheeler, a resident of Prospect Street who is also married to William Wheeler Murray, a trustee who was not present at the meeting on April 24. In addition to historic character, Wheeler noted that asphalt can burn the paws of animals during the summer months, and reminded trustees that it’s a petroleum product. Noting that the remaining sections of bluestone in the village have lasted for about a hundred years, Wheeler expressed willingness to contribute financially in some way. 

This project is being partly funded by a federal grant that was secured some ten years ago, before Mayor Tim Rogers was in office. It also includes work on Huguenot Street, where state officials are requiring stone to be used. This has allowed the mayor to be clear that the cost of stone is more than twice that of asphalt — despite the fact that this asphalt will be laid atop a surface that’s properly prepared to ensure a better outcome than some of the roughshod patch jobs that can be seen around the village. It’s been used to fill in cracks in cement, or where stones have heaved or broken; about 15 years ago workers used it to cover over a tree well in front of 52 Main Street, rather than replacing a tree that had died pursuant to village code. 

“The asphalt you see around New Paltz is garbage,” Rogers said, and “not at all comparable” to what’s in store. That will be more similar to the walking paths found on campus, which were installed on a prepared surface and with concrete curbing. The mayor said that the use of asphalt makes it much easier to repair than bluestone, which is “regularly a trip hazard.” Additionally, Rogers said that it’s “arguably more environmental than concrete.” The relative environmental and financial impact of using and replacing asphalt vs. bluestone over the long haul — most stone is expected to last 50 years — was not discussed in any detail. 

Cost was the clear motivator, but not the only argument made in favor. It was suggested that it would be “odd” to preserve stone in front of three remaining houses, and if that were to happen it appeared that trustees were only contemplating skipping that 300-foot stretch and allowing homeowners to work it out. Another point made is that it was very late to raise this concern. That’s not an unusual argument for public officials to make when residents only learn about plans and show up to express opposition very late in a process; the town supervisor is worried that any efforts to improve affordable housing in New Paltz could be stymied by that issue and has been pushing for a tremendous public outreach effort ahead of time to counter that tendency. While it could be said that any member of the public has the right to be heard at any point in the process, it’s also been noted that Wheeler Murray has served on the village board for some years and only raised this issue a few weeks ago. 

The four elected officials present all voted in favor of moving ahead with the plans as finalized by the engineers.