Ticonderoga gets large grant for river trail

TICONDEROGA | The Town of Ticonderoga has been awarded a $280,000 grant to build a missing link in the La Chute River Trail, a three-mile multi-use path running from the Ticonderoga elementary school to Bicentennial Park. "The La Chute River Walk Trail tells a compelling story of Ticonderoga's industrial history as one meanders with the river enjoying the area's present-day natural beauty," said Supervisor Joe Giordano. "Whether it be for recreation, history or simply to seek a quiet place and appreciate the scenery, the La Chute Trail preserves and celebrates what is special about Ticonderoga." The trail will connect with an existing gravel trail near Lake George Avenue and to a spot downstream where the lower La Chute trail currently dead ends. The quarter-mile trail will be blacktopped and have a width of 10 feet. The total project cost of $373,000 includes a 25 percent town match, much of which can be met with in-kind services and the help of volunteers, Giordano said. The trail will open up one of the best views in town, a scrubby seldom-visited plateau of town property over the river that has is long on potential. Interested parties are in discussions how the field can be optimized, said Elisha Bartlett, director of the PRIDE community development group. Bartlett said the La Chute River corridor has been waiting for some sort of redevelopment ever since International Paper moved out of the then-village of Ticonderoga in 1969, bulldozing a century's worth of industrial buildings in the process. Almost immediately, she said, town leaders began to focus on recreation, and through the years the trail has been taking shape. The La Chute is a 3.5-mile river connecting Lake George to Lake Champlain through a series of scenic ledges and cascades that, if added up, would be higher than Niagara Falls. It has a rich history, not only of the industrial past, but as a strategic link between the two lakes dating back to the mid-18th century. The trail has the potential to "bring to light the significance of the portage," Bartlett said. The capstone on this project would be a long-envisioned replica of a French sawmill at the lower falls, an enterprise that was likely the first of many industrial uses taking advantage of the abundant water power. The project is currently being studied by curators at Fort Ticonderoga to ensure historical accuracy, and how to address a particular conundrum: Probably in no way did the mill resemble a charming tourist attraction, and it definitely did not meet stringent New York building codes. Once those issues are sorted out, however, it's hoped the mill will be a working replica that will attract visitors and provide raw material for artisanal craftspeople. The trail will also have revamped historic markers along the way, telling the story of Ti's rich industrial history. It will, all told, be three miles in length, and Bartlett said officials also hope to add definition through street striping to a section of the trail south of Montcalm Street where it negotiates a developed district. "Trails are good investments acting as low-cost economic revenue engines connecting our visitors to the eateries, attractions and businesses that support our local economy," Giordano said. "Completing the quarter-mile connector section of trail will not only increase the utility but will offer more breathtaking views of our beautiful town."

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Ticonderoga gets large grant for river trail

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