Rail trail addition set for discussion at Oct. 15 talk

MILLERTON —  The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) invites the public to attend a discussion about the expansion of the rail trail from Philmont to Ghent on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. at the VFW Hall, 2237 Route 66 in Ghent. 

After the discussion by MKM Landscape Architecture of New York, which is undertaking the 8-mile addition, there will be time for questions from the audience. Also on the agenda are board members of HVRTA, a nonprofit group that oversees the expansion and general maintenance of the trail. This session will also be the group’s annual membership meeting. 

“We encourage residents of our local communities, as well as the many people who use our existing trail and our members, to turn out for this informative session,” said HVRTA board Chair Phil Meeks. 

The new section will be fully paved and extend the trail into central and northern Columbia County, meandering through woodlands, farms and other scenery. The trail will run over a stone arch railroad bridge, a relic from the 1800s, and will end in the Village of Chatham, not far from where the new Shaker Museum is planned. 

The rail trail is a destination for many, with 26 paved, scenic miles for hikers and bikers to enjoy. It is only a part of the ultimate goal of the association, which is 46 miles of paved trail from Wassaic to Chatham along the path of the former New York and Harlem Railroad. Currently the trail links the Metro-North Railroad station in Wassaic to Copake; another section goes 1.5 miles southeast from Hillsdale’s Hamlet.

The cost of the new section of trail has not yet been determined, but it will require additional funding from both local and government sources. The $500,000 construction plan is from funding that has to be raised by HVRTA from state and local grants, as well as the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation.