Tracking the impact of the Rail Trail

MILLERTON — The Harlem Valley Rail Trail has been a lure to Millerton since 1996. The abandoned rail track was recycled into paved trails for recreational activities. It is no secret that the trail has brought a huge influx of people to the village of Millerton, one of the current stops on the 15-mile path. Now the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association wants to study how the Rail Trail financially impacts the village. Recently the association sent out a survey to North East and Millerton business owners to get a better understanding of how the Rail Trail has influenced them. “It’s been an enormous impact on the community; people come in to use our Rail Trail. You can get food and shop. We are one of the coolest small towns in America. The Rail Trail has a massive impact on the growth of the village,” said Marty Reynolds, owner of Simmons’ Way Village Inn and a board member of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association. The survey was designed to give a better understanding of how merchants are affected by the presence of the trail. The survey asked questions on the number of Rail Trail users merchants serve weekly at their businesses. Other questions involve how merchants have benefited from the Rail Trail and what can be done to improve the trail to help businesses. Results of the survey have yet to be collected, but the information will be available to the general public, local and regional businesses, according to Lisa Deleeuw, administrative director of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association.Once the information from the surveys is collected, it will be sent to the local government in order to help release funding for expansion of the trail. Currently another 8 miles of the trail are in development; the last addition to the trail was completed in 2007. “We want it to be finished; it has been on the books for a while. The money has been allocated for the project, and a lot of people want it to go forward,” said Reynolds. At the Columbia County Fair, Rail Trail advocates have been raising money to buy property and gift it back to the state in order to promote the completion of another 23 miles in Columbia County leading to the village of Chatham, stated Reynolds. “At The Columbia County Fair, the Rail Trail is always being advocated to get built, and to keep people aware of it. There is a lot of excitement. People want a place to ride their bikes,” said Reynolds. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail provides a place for bicyclers to ride, without the stress of riding on the road with cars. Bicycling alone has brought in plenty of visitors to Millerton, allowing them to explore a small village that has blossomed into one of Dutchess County’s hidden treasure. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association hopes that this survey will allow the trail to grow and benefit not only Millerton merchants but also many other towns and villages along its path.