For Immediate Release: August 31, 2005
CANAL CORPORATION HOLDS CANALWAY TRAIL PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING IN LITTLE FALLS
The New York State Canal Corporation held an informal public meeting this evening, Wednesday, August 31, 2005, to discuss plans for development of an eight-mile Canalway Trail segment between Little Falls and Ilion.
“Community involvement is a key component in generating a successful future for not only the Canalway Trail, but also the Erie Canal Greenway,” said Carmella R. Mantello, Director of the New York State Canal Corporation. “This project will help create more than 60 miles of continuous Canalway Trail in Herkimer and Montgomery Counties, providing new economic and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to the region.”
From 5-6:30 p.m. at the Little Falls Library, the Corporation held an Open House, providing the public with an opportunity to view the project plans for the new trail development. Canal Corporation representatives and the project design consultants made a brief presentation and answered questions from the public.
“I look forward to hearing from the residents of Little Falls and Ilion about their vision for the future of the canal system,” continued Ms. Mantello. “Working together and balancing our economic and environmental resources will revitalize the canal corridor, a national treasure.”
The project will begin in Little Falls at the end of the existing Miller Mile trail segment and follow the abandoned West Shore railroad, which is owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The trail will then follow Canal right-of-way to the Fort Herkimer Church in German Flatts. There, it will connect to a trail segment being constructed by the Town of German Flatts in partnership with the Canal Corporation. The project will resume at the Route 28 Bridge in Mohawk and run parallel to Route 5S and the Erie Canal to the Ilion Marina. A spur to Little Falls Canal Harbor is also being provided by the New York State Department of Transportation.
The trail will be 10 feet wide with crushed limestone or asphalt surface. Informational kiosks will be placed at several points along the trail segment. Directional signage also will be provided. The plan also calls for biker-hiker-boater campsites and trail parking to be installed at Erie Canal Lock 18.
Project plans will be finalized over the next few months. Construction is
scheduled to take place in 2006 with completion targeted for 2007.
The project is part of a $35 million program announced by Governor George E. Pataki in 2002 to complete the Erie Canalway Trail linking the Hudson River and Lake Erie. More than half of the 348-mile Erie Canalway Trail is now complete.
In late May 2005, Governor Pataki unveiled his vision for establishing the Erie Canal Greenway and, ultimately, the Empire State Greenway, connecting the Niagara, Erie and Hudson River Greenways. The Canal Corporation and an interagency task force will conduct an outreach campaign to gather input and ideas, and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie and Empire State Greenways and examine certain roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations will be delivered in a report to the Governor by December 2005.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
For more information about the New York State Canals, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.
-30-