Trail improvement processes moving forward

PLATTSBURGH | City of Plattsburgh's Common Council recently passed a resolution to advertise for bids for the Saranac River Trail (SRT)'s Phase 2. The SRT plans are sorted into multiple phases, the first of which is already complete and opened in 2012. Weaving through SUNY Plattsburgh's campus and parts of downtown Plattsburgh, joggers, walkers and cyclists can routinely be seen utilizing the 1.5 mile path. With current state budget restrictions due to COVID-19, phased plans could be impacted moving forward. The lowest most recent bid for Phase 2 was for around $3 million. The city's Community Development Office will ultimately need to return to the council to request an additional $265,972, according to Director of Community Development Matthew Miller, based on the current construction estimate. The project's "debt service" and its interest would be financed over 10 to 15 years, as discussed in a recent common council meeting. PHASE 2 BRIDGES, FUNDING Sun Community News reported in 2016 that the trail would receive a combination of $2 million in federal funding from city and state parks and recreation departments for its Phase 2 construction, relating to river-crossing bridges in the downtown area. One bridge would replace the former Saranac Street Bridge connecting Caroline Street to Pine Street, not far from the Plattsburgh City Police Department and Stafford Middle School. The second bridge would create a connection from Saranac Street, near a former NYSEG site, to the Durkee Street parking lot. Funding agencies have approved updated project plans with updated bid documents. "We went back to the engineer and consulted with the state agencies for revising the various funding streams about what could be removed from the scope while still maintaining the city's ability to get reimbursed for the work when everything's done," said Miller. FRIENDS OF THE TRAIL A 2016 Feasibility Study was conducted by the Friends of the Saranac River Trail, which helped launch a series of developments surrounding the trail's future. Jesse Feiler of the Friends of the Saranac River Trail group said, "A 'Safe Streets To Schools' component improves the walkway to Stafford Middle School from the Pine Street area to reduce the hazards for students." But Feiler made it clear that more than just students use the trails, noting its popularity for recreation; he suggested a potential consolidation between the 2016-awarded $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and the SRT phases. "Both the DRI and SRT Phase 2 involve new pedestrian routes to and from downtown," Feiler told Sun Community News. "By consolidating those projects we will save money and be able to provide a more integrated and usable revitalized downtown area. He added, "Saving money is critical now that the bids for SRT Phase 2 are coming in higher than expected." BACKGROUND, RELATIONSHIP TO DRI Director of Tourism for the Adirondack Coast Kristy Kennedy was a part of the original committee to plan for trail development as a potential portion of the DRI award granted in 2016. She said the original intent of the project was to enhance what the downtown already has to offer, with an emphasis on what makes it unique, such as the river. "Not every downtown in New York has a river, so our idea was 'let's capitalize on that'," Kennedy told Sun Community News. "We're an outdoor rec destination," Kennedy emphasized, as the pandemic and tourism industry evolves on national, regional and local scales. "We see visitors who are interested in a healthy and fit lifestyle. People come here to fish, cycle, boat, walk, run." She said the river increases quality of life; anytime the community experience can be enhanced, the visitor experience is enhanced as well, particularly when it comes to downtown walkability and waterfront access for all.

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Trail improvement processes moving forward

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