Rail Trail still waiting on funds, looking into other options

WASSAIC — Tonia Shoumatoff from the Housatonic Valley Association made a presentation to the Town Board with an update on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail extension project at the last board meeting on Feb. 19.

The project is looking to connect the Wassaic Metro-North train station to the hamlet of Wassaic through an approximately half-mile trail extension. A $7,500 Greenway grant has already been implemented to pay for a report that outlines the planning and design of the project. That report was drawn up by Mark Morrison, who was also involved with the project in its earlier, conceptual stages.

An update of the Rail Trail extension project was presented to the Town Board in late November. At that time, a $480,000 grant from the Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) was expected. The report estimated the project would cost approximately $600,000.

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), which was chosen by the Town Board to spearhead the project, is still waiting for the results of the TEP grant application. But rather than sitting on their hands, the HVA is looking into other grant opportunities as well.

A promising lead lies in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP, not to be confused with the TEP grant), a stimulus-funded program that could net the town $525,000.

Shoumatoff said she was very excited about the possibility of applying for the grant, as it would be even more helpful than the TEP grant. The requirements for the grant are much stricter, Shoumatoff pointed out, and the process “will have to go much faster, with expedient decisions,� but she stressed that it would be worth it in the end.

Mike Hagerty, the town’s grantwriter, will attend a meeting held by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) concerning many stimulus package-eligible grants in Dutchess County.