Frequently Asked Questions
The Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail will be a 7.5-mile linear park along the shoreline of the Hudson River. It will be designed to offer safe, convenient, and welcoming park access to people of all ages and abilities; connect people to the ecology and rich history of the Hudson Highlands; and inspire appreciation of nature through immersion in the four distinct landscape types of the region.
Beginning approximately fifty miles north of New York City and winding along the eastern shore of the Hudson River across from USMA at West Point and Storm King Mountain, the Fjord Trail will serve as a gateway to some of New York State’s most popular day hikes in the iconic landscape of Hudson Highlands Park Preserve. This new “park within the park” will be managed by Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Inc., an independently funded nonprofit. Most of the trail will be located on either public land, notably New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and Metro-North Railroad property, or on existing parkland owned by Scenic Hudson.
HHFT will connect two thriving communities, three Metro-North train stations, and eager visitors from the Hudson Valley, New York City, and beyond, to natural beauty, to history, and to each other.
The main trail will join the Village of Cold Spring and the City of Beacon, making it possible for hikers, bikers, and runners to enjoy a safe and scenic route between these two Hudson Valley destinations. The route creates numerous possibilities for recreation, reflection, and celebration along the way, including scenic overlooks to mountain and river views, a forest canopy walk, a waterfront promenade, restored beaches, and a marsh exploration area.
Along the way, HHFT visitors can connect with the rugged hiking trails of Hudson Highlands State Park, smaller, side meandering paths and spaces for gathering, as well as tranquil places of quiet solitude.
Two gateway parks—Long Dock Park, in Beacon, and Dockside, in Cold Spring—along with the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Visitor Center at the historic Dutchess Manor, will welcome and orient visitors. At the Visitor Center, as well as at various locations along the trail, a range of interactive exhibits, programs, and special events will provide engaging ways to connect people with the history and ecology of the region.
The key concepts for this project were developed in the Village of Cold Spring and Town of Philipstown nearly fifteen years ago – big projects like this take time to pull together! Some of the central planning documents that informed the Fjord Trail route and vision include:
- Route 9D Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan (2006)
- Town of Philipstown Hudson Fjord Hike/Bike Capital Improvements Feasibility Study (2007)
- Village of Cold Spring Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (2011)
- Village of Cold Spring Comprehensive Plan (2012)
- Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Master Plan (2015)
- Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Master Plan (updated; 2020)
The current vision reflects the culmination of years of planning, community input, and technical analysis. As we go from master plan to site plan, there will be additional opportunities to shape how this project materializes on the ground.
The project started as a grassroots effort by Cold Spring/Philipstown residents to improve pedestrian and auto safety along State Route 9D. Large numbers of hikers were walking on the high-speed highway in order to access Breakneck Ridge and the Wilkinson Memorial Trailheads, with no shoulder or pedestrian space to keep people out of the travel lanes. Residents met and began forming a coalition that led the way in concept development for the Fjord Trail, eventually growing to the nineteen-member coalition that exists today.
In addition to addressing the critical safety needs of pedestrians on Route 9D, including those that arrive at the Breakneck Ridge train station, the Fjord Trail is being designed to serve as a visitor management strategy for the region. Visitation has increased annually and currently exceeds the infrastructure and service capacity of the small historic Village of Cold Spring.
The Fjord Trail will ease the burden of Breakneck and Washburn Trailhead visitation on the Village of Cold Spring by: creating an alternate pedestrian access route that channels hikers who arrive by train directly to the trail and away from Main Street; providing additional parking and entry points north of Cold Spring to pull hiker parking away from the Village; and operating a shuttle system to facilitate travel among trailheads, designated parking areas, and the three train stations within the project area. Together, these improvements – along with new restrooms, garbage collection, and wayfinding – will help safeguard quality of life for local residents by reducing the impacts of overcrowding on the community.
HHFT is also working to enhance quality of life for locals by offering a wide array of new recreational and educational opportunities: longer runs and bike rides and, for those who make exercise a part of their regular routine, the ability to vary their route from day to day, as well as outdoor classroom spaces at key locations along the trail designed to foster nature discovery. These will support local health and wellness, aging in place, and youth learning and enrichment.
Both locals and visitors will have a safe way to travel by bicycle between Beacon and Cold Spring, helping to decrease carbon emissions.
HHFT's design team, environmental experts, and state agencies are working to create a trail that will enhance access to the splendors of the Hudson Highlands while minimizing impact and improving resiliency to climate change. Here are just some of the ways that HHFT is working to preserve the landscape and address existing impacts of heavy visitation:
- Inventorying and avoiding rare or sensitive habitats as part of the site planning process
- Repairing habitat infringement by closing unauthorized social trails and keeping people where they are supposed to be
- Including native plantings and invasive species remediation in our management and stewardship plans throughout the project area
- Creating planted shelves at specific spots along the Shoreline Trail to offer migration routes for submerged aquatic vegetation as water levels rise
A coalition of nineteen dedicated and knowledgeable entities, including governmental agencies, local municipalities, and respected nonprofit organizations, has worked together at every stage of planning and design to bring the Fjord Trail to life.
See our Partners page for a listing with links to the coalition members’ websites.
The Fjord Trail capital project is being primarily funded through the generosity of a private family foundation with additional support from other private donors and grants from New York State.
As a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, HHFT will rely on private contributions, grant funding, and revenue from parking and shuttle fees to fuel our operational budget. As a nonprofit subsidiary of Scenic Hudson, Inc., we are also grateful to have this regional conservation powerhouse behind us. To ensure that our operational budget meets the needs of excellent park stewardship, we are also fortunate to be building an endowment fund that will help support operations annually and provide a safety net to ensure that park maintenance continues seamlessly, should the organization ever experience a difficult revenue year.
One of the goals of the Fjord Trail is to ease visitor congestion by creating destinations along the trail north of Cold Spring and Breakneck.
As a linear park with multiple entry points, the Fjord Trail is carefully designed to manage visitation, including additional parking areas, restrooms, and clear wayfinding that aim to reduce the strain of heavy visitation in small communities.
With regard to Cold Spring, the HHFT will create clear wayfinding at both the Cold Spring train station and at Dockside Park. Hikers will have the option to begin their hike at Dockside Park or Little Stony Point along the Shoreline Trail segment, explore Main Street to shop and dine, or take the Fjord Trail shuttle from the train station to another destination along the trail. These amenities will improve quality of life in Cold Spring in ways that would be financially challenging for the Village to implement on its own.
In 2021, New York State Parks estimated annual visitation to Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve (HHSP) was 480,000. Environmental review consultants with expertise in demand have projected that there will be 600,000 total annual visitors to the Fjord Trail in 2028, after the majority of the trail – including new entry points north of Cold Spring, restrooms, parking, trash collection, and expanded staff to maintain all of it – is in place.
HHFT, Inc. is currently working with a visitation management consultant to continue to study visitor projections and refine the specific strategy elements we will use to manage visitation. These studies will help us understand how much of the existing visitation to HHSP will become Fjord Trail visitation once the project is complete. When finished, study findings and methodology will be shared with the public.
Given the permeable nature of Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, we know that limiting usage of trails will be challenging.
As we continue to explore strategies to manage usage in certain high popularity locations like Breakneck, we are considering several different visitation management options, including timed entry, a reservation system, and/or capping visitation daily.
Once the Breakneck Connector is completed, we will begin using hiker counters at the trailhead. The data we collect will be an important part of dynamically refining our ongoing visitor management plan.
We will work in collaboration with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to determine the right approach.
The first iteration of the Fjord Trail design by RBA included a plan for hikers to travel through the Village of Cold Spring after disembarking the train or parking, making their way up Main Street and along Fair Street to Little Stony Point, the Cornish Trail, and beyond. This was desired by the Village leadership, businesses and residents at the time the plan was being developed (2014), but by 2016, when the environmental review started, visitation had increased, which changed local perspectives. Feedback from local residents at that time indicated that they considered the route through the village potentially invasive to Cold Spring neighborhoods, as it would add unnecessary congestion to Main Street, where shopkeepers and restaurateurs wanted earnest customers. HHFT took this feedback seriously.
We went back to the drawing board and looked at the Village plans, which highlighted improvements to Dockside Park and a Riverfront Trail that would connect from Dockside Park to Little Stony Point. The mayor at that time helped implement a community survey to ask residents about route preferences, and the route to Dockside was deemed the most acceptable by residents.
The new route will bring hikers from the train station along the waterfront to Dockside Park, which is part of the public Hudson Highlands State Park. Those who choose instead to meander along Main Street to shop and dine will still be able to do so. In this way, visitor flow will be split, further reducing congestion.
The land where HHFT’s Shoreline Trail is planned, starting at Dockside Park, is currently owned by Metro-North Railroad. Both Dockside Park and Little Stony Point are part of the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve. There will be restrooms and trash receptacles maintained by HHFT staff, and management responsibility and expense will be removed from the Village once Dockside Park is incorporated into the Fjord Trail.
The Breakneck Connector and Bridge have been determined to have independent utility from the larger project. This means, independent of the larger project, the improvements at Breakneck provide value as a stand-alone project that addresses an existing situation in need of a solution. The Breakneck Connector implements safety and infrastructure improvements at the Breakneck Ridge Metro-North Railroad train station (new platforms lighting, wayfinding, connection paths, parking, etc.) and safely connects pedestrians arriving by car or train to their trailhead destination (Breakneck or Wilkinson). The bridge provides the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with a vehicle access point to their drainage chamber, which has been lacking since Route 9D was re-routed from going around Breakneck Point through the tunnel in the 1920s. This vehicle access point was promised to DEP at the time and not delivered. It is critical to their ability to maintain the aqueduct that provides NYC with 40% of its drinking water.
The rest of the Fjord Trail project is advancing through its own environmental review, a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) with a site-specific EIS for the Shoreline Trail. While that process will not document the Breakneck Connector and Bridge (because that’s being reviewed in a separate process), the GEIS will reference it as part of the larger master plan vision, so it is clearly stated for transparency.
The focus of the new Master Plan has been expanded in five important ways:
- Broadened scope of improvements beyond a trail, as visitation is not limited to Breakneck hikers.
- An increased focus on accessibility; designing to ADA standards to ensure a resource for all.
- Management. The 2015 Master Plan saw management and maintenance by OPRHP, but their staff capacity is limited. Now, HHFT, Inc. will build, operate, and maintain the new park.
- Visitor amenities. With a fully staffed entity responsible for operations, HHFT is planning restrooms, garbage collection, parking lots, a shuttle service, and a Visitor Center to help welcome and orient visitors. Management of these amenities will not fall to local communities.
- Family-friendly focus. Two kid-friendly recreational opportunities: at Little Stony Point, a nature-based play area with zones for different age groups, and at the vacant Dutchess Junction Park, a Forest Net zone, which will provide an opportunity to be immersed in the trees.
The Breakneck Connector section has all of the design elements of the 2015 version, plus a few more! The original design, which was developed with a committee that included DOT and local emergency response personnel, was created to make the corridor safer for pedestrians, cars, and cyclists. The design included limited formal parallel parking, an improved off-road parking lot, enhanced 20-foot train platforms, a new structure for the trail stewards to welcome and orient hikers, and a trail. Dedicated emergency responder parking was built into the design both on-road and in the parking area.
All of those design features are still present, with a few modifications and additions:
- A second off-road parking lot
- 40-foot platforms instead of 20-foot platforms at the train station to facilitate faster disembarking
- A “scramble bank” to provide seating and space for those arriving by train to gather and disperse without blocking the trail for other users
- A “stream bank” to help move and catch stormwater working its way down the steep mountain in a way that is better performing than the current condition
- Restrooms – eight composting toilets in two small buildings
- Trailhead relocation – the Breakneck Trailhead has been moved slightly uphill to ensure groups are not gathering near the mouth of the tunnel, where motorist visibility is poor
- Limited lighting for safety, predominantly at the Breakneck Ridge train station
Two of the biggest changes came from feedback provided from 2015 to 2017, which make the Breakneck Connector a more comprehensive project:
- Bridge: In 2015, discussions began with DEP about their need for a vehicular access point to their drainage facility and the Fjord Trail’s need for a bridge over the tracks. We’ve kept the conversation going and have included the bridge in the Breakneck Scope, as the footings are in the Breakneck project area and construction will need to advance at the same time.
- Upper Overlook: The Jolly Rovers had been in discussion with OPRHP about stabilizing the early sections of Breakneck Trail, which were showing significant erosion due to heavy use. Budget and land ownership patterns with Metro-North Railroad would not allow that work to advance at the time. We’ve folded the design into the Fjord Trail scope – stone stairs up to the first overlook just over the tunnel and a stabilized section of the early ascent scramble. We’re also closing several social trails and making some improvements to keep people on established paths at the overlook and the Breakneck Trail. This will also be the location of the new Trail Steward Station at the relocated Breakneck Trailhead.
Traffic is an issue today, as is parking – that’s part of what we’re working to help manage!
We have a three-part strategy for this:
- Adding parking capacity – but not too much. We know that most people arriving to hike Breakneck today are arriving by car so, naturally, parking is an issue. We are formalizing and reducing parking at Breakneck to help with traffic safety on Route 9D, but we are adding parking north of Breakneck – remote lots served by a shuttle that can bring people to Breakneck or other signature destinations in the new park. The shuttle system will increase parking capacity in areas outside existing community centers and provide incentives to use it.
- Encouraging train arrival. We have three train stations in the linear park area, which means there are opportunities to explore how to shift people’s travel behavior from car to train, especially if they live in a community with a train station along the Hudson Line. We’ll be working closely with Metro-North to see how we can promote this and perhaps also provide incentives to do so. Does that mean we expect NO people to arrive by car? No. Visitors are coming from all directions – north, east, and west -- as well as points south. Some of those places are not served by train. For example, recent data shows that many visitors come from Carmel and Highland. Arriving to the project via I-84 makes the most sense for those drivers.
- Improving road system function. Much can be done with wayfinding and smart street lights to help move traffic more efficiently. We’ll be working with our Steering Committee to better understand existing issues that might be made worse if traffic increases, and developing some ideas for improvement.
Also, there is a tendency to expect all new visitation to be from NYC to Cold Spring. We do not believe that will be the case. Visitation today is from a broad region and is strongly Breakneck-focused. The Fjord Trail will draw new visitors, but we expect to see more families, seniors, school groups and other non-weekend users making up that new mix. Some of those users will come from different communities, and more locals may wind up using the trail, too. This usage may include more weekday visits than we see today with the young hikers who frequent Breakneck on weekends. This will mean different travel patterns.
In the recent past, the parking behavior on Route 9D increased to new levels of chaos and congestion. What used to be excessive parallel parking on either side of the road became nose-in parking, with people backing into the high-speed highway. This needs to be fixed. However, as visitation at Breakneck is not expected to decrease in the future, removing all parking on 9D would likely just increase congestion in other areas.
HHFT’s new Breakneck Connector will implement a five-point strategy of traffic-calming improvements in the mile area north of the Breakneck tunnel. This includes:
- A new “Welcome to Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve” gateway sign on the hill as drivers descend southbound toward Breakneck, signaling the entry to a recreational area
- Vegetated bump-outs to provide a safe space for pedestrians to gather as they wait to cross the road
- New crosswalks to control and direct street crossing behavior, which is currently chaotic
- Sidewalks to provide a safe walking route to the nearest crosswalk for those exiting their cars
- Formal parallel parking spaces, which will remove the opportunity for unsafe and illegal nose-in parking and constricting the road in a way that alerts drivers to slow down. Whereas 250 cars might have squeezed themselves along the road in the past, the new design will allow for 77 cars in painted, formal parallel parking spaces.
Even with an additional 36 spaces in parking lots, the total number of cars parked in that area will be greatly reduced with people directed to find overflow parking at the former Dutchess Manor and other points north and take the HHFT shuttle.
These measures will eliminate the haphazard parking and congestion that has made for dangerous and stressful conditions for locals and visitors along Route 9D. With this entire package of improvements installed, DOT will lower the speed limit to 40 mph, which will help safety as well.
One of the main goals of the Fjord Trail is to provide a place where people of all ages and abilities can recreate safely and feel welcome. The Main Trail is being designed to follow Accessibility Guidelines for Federal Outdoor Development Areas (AGODA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
All trailheads will include ADA-accessible restroom facilities and there will be dedicated parking spaces in all planned parking lots. The Dutchess Manor building, including the HHFT Visitor Center and offices, will be fully ADA-compliant.
Making the Fjord Trail accessible to all - people with disabilities, elders, families with small children - is the right thing to do for our local community, as well as for visitors. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to connect with nature.
There will be restrooms at all major entries to the trail.
Restrooms will be ADA accessible and will also be situated near other amenities such as wayfinding, information kiosks, and bicycle tune-up stations.
A revised Master Plan and Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) will be released for public comment in late 2022.
The project’s first major milestone took place in summer 2021 with the partnership between HHFT and OPRHP that created the Nimham Trail, connecting the viewpoint at the flagpoles on Breakneck Ridge to Wilkinson Memorial Trail. This included rerouting part of the Wilkinson Trail to resolve erosion issues. This trail creates a safe and clear path down the mountain to the Wilkinson Trailhead and will reduce the ecological damage of trail spreading and erosion created by hikers getting lost or trying to cut their route short when they return to the Breakneck parking lot.
Work on the Breakneck Connector and Bridge is scheduled to begin in 2023. This 0.7 mile segment of the trail will connect hikers arriving by train at the Metro-North Breakneck Ridge Station or by car at the Breakneck parking area to a relocated trailhead and trail steward’s station for the Breakneck Ridge hike. HHFT anticipates this section of the project opening to the public in 2025.
Improvements at this time will also address the current parking situation, implementing new restrictions that will create a safer environment for trail users and motorists on Route 9D.
Prior to the start of (and during) construction, trail and train closure information and a schedule for completion will be communicated to the public through a coordinated effort among project partners.
May 8 Joint Public Session Questions & Answers
At the May 8 Joint Public Session hosted by the Town of Philipstown and the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville, HHFT staff committed to answering all 210 questions that were submitted by residents in advance of the meeting. We will be updating the table below as we answer each question. Please check back frequently!
# | Question | Submitted by | Link to Answer |
---|---|---|---|
94 | For Breakneck Connector, how will the project details described in Attachment A of FEAF Part 3 be monitored during construction for compliance with FEAF? Has a cost estimate been produced? Will the results of Value Engineering resulting in redesign be fed back into an amended FEAF and reviewed for compliance? | David May, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
162 | What are the plans to create programming for our local community? | Anne Symmes, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
152 | The bridge on Lunn Terrace in the Village of Cold Spring is in terrible shape and needs to be replaced; Can the existing bridge handle the kind of traffic envisioned for the fjord trail, and what is NY State's plan to replace the bridge/when will that happen? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
13 | The Scenic Hudson web site states the mission of Scenic Hudson is, “To sustain and enhance the Hudson Valley’s inspirational beauty and health for generations to come.” How will construction of a boardwalk, and the subsequent impact of extremely large numbers of users of this boardwalk, on the bank of the Hudson not contradict this mission statement? | Steven Sohn, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
179 | The Parking/Shuttle webinar and followup report seems to make some important assumptions which would be the basis of how the Fjord’s Visitation Mngt System will be effective. For example: 77% of visitors are arriving by car, mostly from the south, with 2% by VCS Metro North. If this is so, why would you even bother with the dockside and Little Stony Point components other than to substantiate the term “ world class linear park with attractions” . Is this one person’s vision which in turn will be the Village residents nightmare? | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
6 | How has the trail design considered environmental impact, climate change, and sustainability in its design? Will sustainable/climate-conscious materials and practices be used during construction? | Adele Westerhuis, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
101 | HHFT has cited visitation estimates ranging from 600,000 (July 22nd, 2022) to 743,626 in 2021 to 1,003,908 in 2028 (both 2nd February, 2023). What data points or studies were used to derive these numbers, why are they so inconsistent and how much new parking will be required to accommodate them? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
103 | I have not seen any analysis of the current northbound traffic on 9D leading to the Main St traffic light during peak tourist weekends. The back up is often to Drug World for the day. We understand the growth of Beacon which has been designed to minimize cars. But with no Data from fjord we can only assume an order of magnitude increase of traffic leading back over the bridge and into the side streets. If you did this analysis, what are the results? Was it an Independent firm involving the village? If not, why not? Concerned about the results? Or it wasn't required so why bother? | Richard Franco, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
142 | In December 2021, the NYS Office of Parks sent HHFT a letter saying that HHFT would hire a project manager and send $5 million for the Breakneck connector? Who was hired and how was the $5 million spent? Has HHFT received an updated invoice? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
76 | Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HFFT, where are the schedules, locations, agenda and minutes of meetings of state agencies and Scenic Hudson/HHFT? When will they be published to a central location for public access? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
170 | The FT plan says Dockside Park is the entry point, but there is no plan for additional parking. There are other tourists who will be drawn to the trail by car, tour buses,etc. Currently, without the trail, there are tourists who visit for leaf changing season, cherry blossoms. They may not want to hike the trail but to drive in and take some photos. The Fjord trail's design will attract more people and I don't see how this can be ignored. What is the Fjord trail's answer to this besides hoping for people to take the train and shuttle? | Charmaine Choi, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
176 | Dockside and lower Main Street were impassibly flooded (except by boat) during Irene and Sandy- 1st by rain, 2nd by surge. The two conditions together would devastate this village. Yet this plan to place traffic on top of existing concerns will not alleviate them. In whose interest is that? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
172 | The Parking/Shuttle webinar and followup report seems to make some important assumptions which would be the basis of how the Fjord’s Visitation Mngt System will be effective. For example: Dan Berkowsky of Creighton Manning , used a growth factor of visitors from ’21 to ’28 of 35% total cumulative. NYS Parks recently did a glowing press conference touting 2022 park attendance statewide increasing over 20% in that one year. Are we really to believe this number and is this in fact the # you’re using in all your parking projections ? They will come by car and from the south and they will search for open parking until they can’t find it and then use the designated shuttle parking lots for a fee. What happens in-between is a nightmare if you live here | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
180 | It's being called a Fjord Trail-a long narrow deep inlet of the sea. Cold Spring is positioned between this inlet and steep cliffs. Cars come to or through town on a narrow road that already bottlenecks at the 301/9D stoplight. How will more traffic solve our traffic problem? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
169 | Many people will be attracted to walk the boardwalk from Cold Spring Village. Given studies already done it appears that large numbers will arrive by car. How will Parks/HHFT people help deal with the traffic that will be created, given there is only one bridge over the tracks, and parking spaces are rare on weekdays. Additionally, what MNRR spaces that are available on weekends will not be nearly enough. Is this massive problem going to be left to VCS to deal with? Shuttles will not address this problem. | Judith K. Rose, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
168 | What is the plan to keep everyone from using Fair Street to get from the train station to the trail entry point? | Chip Loewenson, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
167 | Residents see the convergence of traffic by train, boat, car, bus, on foot, by bike, by motorcycles all vying to access a single Main Street. We can't handle the traffic as it is. How is the Fjord Trail, by adding more traffic, going to solve these existing traffic problems? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
82 | Pursuant to the Cooperative Agreement #C003145, HHFT designated Consigli Construction as the Construction Manager for the Breakneck Connector site. How did HHFT take multiple recent findings of fault against Consigli Construction before State Supreme Court into account when selecting them, what was their process and was NYSOPHRP aware of this? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
112 | Were traffic studies done on Morris Avenue, Chestnut Street and Main Street and if so, who performed those studies and what were the days of the week, dates and hours of those studies? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
98 | I’ve been told by HHFT staff that the Breakneck connector (and the project as a whole) will have zero impact on endangered or threatened species - who made this determination, and can the study that concluded this be released to the public? It must have been done in preparation for the construction now occurring at the Breackneck trailhead. | Michael Bowman, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
148 | What are the projected costs for long term maintenance of the Fjord Trail? What items and services are included in these projections? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
147 | What is the expected lifetime of the Fjord Trail and what will happen to it then? How does HHFT plan to cover its operational costs during that time and what initial 5- or 10-year projections has it made for those costs? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
146 | What is the basis for the assertion that creation of this linear park will be of economic benefit to Cold Spring, Nelsonville, and Philipstown., i.e., what, if any, evidence is there behind that claim? Neither the 2020 Draft Master Plan nor the Environmental Scoping document is at all specific on that point even though they have brief and vague paragraphs devoted to it? | Delmar Karlen, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
144 | Long term maintenance: We understand from public comments made by Amy Kacala that the maintenance costs will be covered by HHFT. Where specifically is the money going to come from? An endowment? If so, how much has been pledged-not promised, but pledged? Fundraising-what's the goal? How quickly? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
135 | What is the total projected annual cost of maintaining the linear park? That would include cleaning and other general maintenance as well as repair and/or replacement of items or materials which are damaged, destroyed, or just plain worn out. What entity will be responsible for that maintenance and where will the money come from? How many workers will be required for maintenance and how many of those will be full time and how many seasonal? | Delmar Karlen, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
133 | The HHFT staff continues to say that it will raise money for the long term maintenance of the trail, but all professional fundraisers know it is difficult, if not impossible, to raise money when there is no expense budget. If HHFT is currently a "subsidiary" of Scenic Hudson, with its president on the "Board" and back office functions fulfilled why hasn't Scenic Hudson produced an estimated maintenance and repair budget? | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
132 | What is the estimated cost of the Breakneck connector and how much did the state pay and how much did HHFT pay? Will NYC pay anything? When the lead agency has changed and the trail has been segmented, what does it mean for accountability to the public going forward? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
126 | If you build it they will come, isn't just a dream in a movie. We've seen it here with the recently-built parking lot opposite Little Stony Point. A few years later and it's already inadequate. When does one stop and protect and preserve rather than exploit? What are the criteria? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
19 | How will NYSOPRHP weigh the public interest in protecting ‘the significant natural and scenic resources’ and ‘seven significant ecological communities’ that it cites in it’s 10/7/15 positive declaration against ensuring ‘this project becomes the epicenter for outdoor recreation in Hudson Highlands State Park (Ned Sullivan letter to Commissioner Harvey, 7/19/13)? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
86 | 2016-era plans for the Fjord Trail generated a lot of concern, including from Riverkeeper; Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HHFT, how were Riverkeeper's concerns resolved to their satisfaction? Where are the 2023 plans for the Fjord Trail and will the Hudson River be undisturbed by its construction? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
124 | How can NYSOPHRP assert that the 2022 Breakneck Connector ‘is clearly no less protective of the environment’ when the full impacts of the larger SEQRA review, of which it was once a part, are unknown? The determination of no ‘significant adverse impacts’ seems self-serving, subjective and questionable. | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
130 | Why was the 2015 Master Plan that envisaged a simple $600,000 Bike-Ped bridge at Breakneck and a $3.7M pedestrian bridge and multi-use trail given a positive declaration, whilst the Breakneck 2022 FEAF featuring a much larger, more expensive (including for taxpayers) and more impactful structure was given the go-ahead? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
105 | The DGEIS is due to be published within the next six months. How high above the mean high tide or mean high water level will the surface of the walkway be and how high above that, and of what type, will the safety railings and fencing be for the in-water sections? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
67 | NYS Parks led the shoreline erosion mitigation project at Dockside which, unbeknownst to the public, included an 18' wide and 20' high berm. The Current quoted Linda Cooper saying it was the Fjord Trail. Before any approvals? Who paid for it? | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
58 | There’s a significant amount of concern whether this project is a “ public” or “ private” development. It appears at various times to move back and forth depending on the outcome desired. For example: NYS Parks is the Lead Agency on Phase 1 ( Breakneck Connector & bridge). Was that awarded contract publicly bid and will you release the relevant documents to a central web site so the taxpayers can be assured it’s money is being spent wisely and legally? | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
92 | Was the recent (early February, weekday) traffic count conducted in Cold Spring by the state to be used as part of the DGEIS? If so, how will data from a weekday in winter give accurate information about weekend traffic in leaf season? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
201 | What is the expected visitation to the Fjord attraction on peak weekends (not the annual average), where does HHFT predict these people will arrive (i.e. how many in Beacon vs. Cold Spring, how many by car vs. train), what kind of food/beverage/restroom/garbage/emergency services will they require, and how will these services be provided and paid for? Also, what research and calculations are these projections based on, who came up with them, and why have they not yet been widely and transparently disseminated? | Eric Tipler, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
200 | How will creating a tourist attraction, no matter how thoughtfully designed, mitigate the impact of increasing tourism in the Hudson Highlands, and especially Cold Spring? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
195 | I'm deeply concerned about the negative impact a 12-14 foot wide elevated boardwalk from Dockside to Breakneck Ridge, promoted as a regional attraction, would have on the village. We're already overwhelmed by the volume of visitors on weekends and our streets are often impassable. Why should we welcome this project? | Peter Henderson, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
192 | Haldane's students (sports, etc.) arrive and travel by bus. Residents already need to use back roads to the supermarket, etc. With the projected trail traffic, all must still pass through one intersection, 9D/301 (gridlock) How will students get to their events on time? or even get there at all? | Doris May, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
190 | Were you (HHFT) aware that the train information posted on your placards in Feb at the CS Firehouse was not only years out of date but also inaccurate because conductors are not able to get to people on trains for ticket counts when aisles are impassible on peak weekends? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
187 | If drivers arriving at the park find all the immediate lots and spaces full, what will be their option for visiting the fjord trail? Solely the shuttle buses? I assume illegal parking will not be tolerated? Will those shuttles stop at not only the fjord trail but also other trailheads for routes that provide eventual connection to the fjord trail? The intent of the question is to get a feel for the extent to which drivers will be encouraged to use public transportation and to which the fjord trail may indirectly promote other areas of the Highlands. | Jay Saunders, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
183 | The Parking/Shuttle webinar and followup report seems to make some important assumptions which would be the basis of how the Fjord’s Visitation Mngt System will be effective. For example: AKRF submitted Traffic Counts in 2022, will you release that hard data? | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
182 | Why do you (HHFT) think your parking plans are sufficient when your projections are based on data from at least 7 years ago, pre-covid, and with annual visitor figures ranging upwards of 600,000? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
181 | Before making big structural changes I would like to know what you are doing about currently existing problems: Build parking lots on empty spaces and in the meantime mark off spaces on 9D for angle parking. These can be metered. Who can do this? DOT? Counties of Philipstown and Fishkill? | Constancia Dinky Romilly, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
77 | Every successful private-public partnership has a detailed agreement between the parties on construction and management costs, and expected revenue sources. We have seen nothing except a short agreement from December 2021 about a construction manager and $5 million for the Breakneck Connector even as taxpayers money is being spent on a segmented project. Has the NYS Parks OR any other State agency or department drafted a preliminary agreement between HHFT and NYS Parks for the entire trail? If not, why not? If so, what does it say? | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
78 | Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HFFT, why are all meetings not recorded and published to a central location for public access? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
127 | If the Fjord Trail is built along the train tracks from Dockside to Little Stony Point, will Metro North build a chain link fence separating the trail from the tracks like it did at Breakneck? If so this would cut Cold Spring off from the river and spoil some of the most dramatic views in the Hudson Valley. | Dan Brochu, Philipstown | Note from HHFT |
113 | Independent of other park trails, what is the maximum daily capacity of the Fjord Trail while still providing a positive user experience? | Seamus Carroll, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
115 | Why was a traffic study not done prior to the design proposal, so that the results could inform the proposal? | Mai Yee, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
110 | Amy Kacala has said in 2022 that there had been two traffic counts done to date-1 in 2016, 1 in 2020-both on weekdays. When exactly were those counts done-dates and times? Why were weekdays chosen? Are those counts being used for the DGEIS? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
108 | What traffic studies and or counts have been conducted, by who, on what days and dates, in what locations and what were the weather conditions at the time? Why are they not publicly available? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
52 | Have any member(s) of the Town of Philipstown Board (current or past) while in its employment openly commented or affirm their support or positive guidance for any part of the HHFT, and if so was it before The Villages of Cold Spring or Nelsonville's receipt of a formal independent and accepted Transportation & Traffic study for the villages.. | Gordon Reid - Robertson, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
33 | If the proposed boardwalk/cantilevered trail is built above the predicted rise of the river what happens when the river floods the RR tracks? How will the tracks be fixed in a timely fashion as work is obstructed by the cantilevered path? Please make all correspondence with MNR available on this matter. | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
49 | MJ Martin has said numerous times in public meetings that the “Steering Committee” has led the direction of the project and has met for almost a decade at this point. Elected officials and other stakeholders (I.e. the NYS Parks Police, former and current officials of the Villages of Nelsonville and Cold Spring) have said this is not true. Please provide us with the specific times that this steering committee has met, and the evolution of their decision making? Or has this just been a project designed and led by the HHFT leadership? | Michael Bowman, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
72 | Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HHFT, where are the illustrations and clear descriptions and plans depicting how the fjord trail will be built and what it will look like, including elevations and specifications? Why have they not been published yet? When will they be published to a central location for public access? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
131 | The viewshed of Cornwall will be drastically altered by this project, To what extent has Cornwall been engaged and included in the development process of this project? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
74 | Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HFFT, where are published the RFPs, Bids/Proposals, Scoring Rubrics and vendor selections for this project (including the Breakneck connector)? When will they be published to a central location for public access? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
121 | Page six of HHFT’s 2-2-23 Open House report rules out Route 1 because it ‘would require a new pedestrian bridge over the tracks that would offer significant cost and visual impacts.’ Why does the same standard NOT apply to the multi-million-dollar bridge at Breakneck or 2020 Master Plan route? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
114 | The DGEIS is due to be published within the next six months. Have test bores for the pilings been conducted, who by and what are the results of those? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
81 | Has the HHFT or its benefactors inclusive of N.Y.S Parks offered any inducements directly or indirectly to any Municipality, Department, Officials or private property owners within the physical scope of this project and if so, is New York State or its official aware of same. | Gordon Reid - Robertson, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
5 | As related to the proposed southern gateway to the linear park, Dockside Park, which is basically at sea level, how does HHFT plan on mitigating the sea level rise due to climate change? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
109 | Visitation: HHFT representatives and posters at the CS firehouse stated that only 29% of visitors will come by train. What was the methodology for arriving at that figure? Also, break down the usage by shuttle and trolley (having parked elsewhere), boat, and motorcycle in leaf | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
116 | For Breakneck Connector, the information contained in both the 2015 and 2020 Master plans is schematic. Very little detail is offered. Have borings been undertaken? Have construction documents for the Connector and Bridge described in FEAF Section 3 Appendices been completed? Are they available for public review? If so, where? | David May, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
99 | What engineering studies have been conducted? Will piles be in river or along shoreline? Sheet-pile coffer-type or bound to rock below? Steel or concrete? What tolerances to vibration from heavy nighttime garbage trains? What is the subsoil or rock profile? How will worksites be accessed and work with the tides? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
57 | Is Governor Hochul aware of how this project is materializing and if so, is she ok with it under her Administration ? | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
89 | Under what precise circumstances would NYS Parks decide upon using their legally-assigned "dominion" over land-use issues, over the concerns or official protests from the community or the Village Board of Trustees? Please describe in detail. | Pete Salmansohn, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
8 | How can any structure, built strongly enough to withstand superstorms (Sandy and Irene), ice flows, and to accommodate thousands of people, NOT seriously devastate the ground and habitat it's built on? What will remain after the structure is damaged to permanently trash our shoreline? What is budgeted for clean up? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
46 | When will HHFT start being kinder and show more respect to the citizens of Cold Spring and Nelsonville? Supporters/staff are clearly pushing terminology such as "hysteria" when referring to issues that have arisen. In addition, they condone their supporters in using veiled racist terminology such as "people from other places", "from the city" or "others" against opposition as a way of diverting concerns. When will the HHFT just start respecting that the people opposed to their project are asking for real answers to real issues and are not racists? | Judith K. Rose, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
66 | There’s a significant amount of concern whether this project is a “ public” or “ private” development. It appears at various times to move back and forth depending on the outcome desired. For example: There’s a single individual who thru various related entities has contributed a significant amount of funds towards this project. It may be a coincidence but once this started the project scope became more of a “ world class linear park with attractions “ than a trail safety project. Would NYS Parks care to comment on that publicly? | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Slides from May 8 Presentation |
198 | Could HHFT describe its vision for how the day-to-day life of the village will co-exist with the cars/buses headed for the trailhead at Dockside? Will you put a limit on cars entering the village? If so, how will you distinguish a trail visitor from someone with village business? | Sheila P Rauch, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
106 | Have significant impacts and proposed alternates and mitigation related to the segmented Breakneck Connector and its proposed implementation with respect to the other trail sections been identified and evaluated in relation to the entire HHFT Master Plan action per NYCRR Part 617.3 (g)? If not, when will this occur? | David May, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
102 | HHFT has presented their 2020 "Master Plan" as an official Master Plan, yet it is not referenced in the SEQR documentation, so is fantasy. The 2020 plan bears so little resemblance to the plan referenced in the SEQR documents that it should require restarting SEQR. How does NYS Parks respond? | Peter Henderson, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
9 | Is there any concern for the several types of endangered species who make their home where they are planning to clearcut to put up cement boardwalk? | Cynthia Kling, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
41 | I think that this project is going to drastically exceed the villages capacity for visitors. I think that one single lane road cannot handle even conservative projections of vehicular traffic. Do we have to proceed with this project in its current iteration? | Charlotte Brooks, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
65 | How do you respond to complaints that you attempt to control the conversation around the Fjord Trail too tightly and thus stifle concerned or opposing voices? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
75 | This project has changed & grown dramatically since his expanded involvement financially even to the point where NY State Parks has allowed him carte blanche. It would be the right thing to do for Mr. Davis to share his vision firsthand & explain to us residents why we shouldn’t be highly concerned of that vision. | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
87 | What is the role and the determinative powers of Garrison resident Chris Davis in this entire project? How much money has his foundation, family, or himself privately contributed , overall, to the fjord trail establishment, personnel, budget, etc.? | Pete Salmalsohn, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
202 | HHFT projects a 25 percent increase in annual visitors. How can this community be asked to support the Fjord Trail when there have been no definitive answers to the question of how the community can handle such an increase in people and cars? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
205 | If too many people come to use the Fjord Trail, or overburden the village, how will HHFT reduce and control the number of visitors? | Seamus Carroll, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
210 | Cold Spring is a uniquely-preserved 19th century village. It's a place of sovereignty. This Fjord Trail is being marketed to solve our traffic problems. Explain to us in detail how this does anything but turn our village into a giant concierge to service your new Disneyesque development. | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
209 | What benefits does VCS expect to derive from the Trail originating at Dockside (and Stony Point/Washburn Trailhead) if they cannot handle the volume of tourism it currently experiences? | Kelly House, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
11 | The “interface” between the Metro North Station and Dockside Park, particularly the public walkway; what plans do Metro North, Village of CS and NYS Parks have for dealing with climate change, and crowd control on that stretch? Who is going to pay for climate control infrastructure on the segment controlled by the Village? | Rudolph Rauch, Lane Gate Rd. | Note from HHFT |
207 | If the project is built as planned, Cold Spring is poised to be a primary gateway for thousands of new visitors on peak weekends, which will permanently alter the character and economy of the village. What provisions are being made to address this, and what rights do residents have in determining the future of their town? | Eric Tipler, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
206 | This is a small, historic village and how will we handle all the new visitors? | Cynthia Kling, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
196 | The Fjord Trail claims to address problems of overcrowding on and around Breakneck. It expects a significant increase in annual visitation. How can it solve an overcrowding problem by adding crowds? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
194 | How will HHFT determine if the village is being overburdened with visitors due to the trail? What conditions will trigger an active response? | Seamus Carroll, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
191 | Does HHFT and NYS OPRHP really believe visitors arriving by car will abide by all the rules & regulations and only drive to and park at designated shuttle areas and then, after returning from the linear park, get back into their cars and drive home without driving into the Village? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
85 | Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HFFT, where are the schedules, locations, agenda, minutes and supporting documents of the HHFT Steering Committee from its inception, including minutes from meetings of HHFT and individual Steering Committee members held outside of Steering Committee? When will they be published to a central location for public access? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
111 | The information baked into the 2017 Scoping document and 2020 Master Plan is woefully out of date. What measures has HHFT-NYSOPRHP taken to ensure the DGEIS comports with 2023 reality, and beyond, with respect to each and all of the Potential Project Impacts and thresholds outlined in the FEAF? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
17 | How have climate change considerations and the environmental impact on the landscape been incorporated into the design? | Kaelin Martin, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
43 | How do you plan to separate walkers from runners, cyclists and other users on the elevated section of the trail? Will there be marked lanes for each and how will you accommodate them all on a 14- foot-wide path? By what standards could any solutions be considered safe? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
31 | As a bicycle enthusiast can't you envision congestion on a multi-use boardwalk as in other areas around the country? Aren't there restrictions? | John Zuvic, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
39 | The trail is multi-use. Cyclists and toddlers represent just two on a spectrum with cross purposes. How will competing usage be managed? By whom and for how much? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
177 | Media coverage shows that years ago the town fumbled an opportunity to extend a sidewalk on Fair Street north toward Little Stony Point. Why not revive that effort instead of building a significantly more disruptive and expensive boardwalk from Dockside Park? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
119 | The HHFT project was segmented following the 2015 Positive Declaration. Why and how did this occur? Is it assumed that other parts of the trail can and will be segmented as well? Does this segmentation serve the planners in circumventing doing the right thing for the environment? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
1 | How much will carbon emissions increase when there are 600,000 visitors to the linear park? Please quantify. How much (in terms of volume or weight) additional trash will be generated by the 600,000 visitors? Again, quantify. | Delmar Karlen, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
154 | What investments will be made by HHFT, Inc. to keep visitors off of local streets and out of high-impact neighborhoods? | Pepper Evans, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
136 | The State has already begun to spend taxpayer money on all three sections of the trail. Is there a formal pledge from the donor? If not, why not? If so, how much and for what? | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
15 | The boardwalk is to be 8 feet higher than high tide, but Sandy and Irene flooded Dockside and stopped trains. What good is a raised boardwalk if the land is flooded and the trains don't run? How have climate change, sea level rise, and intensifying storms been factored in? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
20 | Has the design of the water’s edge portion of the trail taken into account the inevitability of sea-level rise? How will you mitigate the effects of that without repeatedly rebuilding it at tax-payer’s expense? | Kelly House, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
18 | What is your plan to respond to river level rise resulting from global warming? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
16 | Given the climate emergency that we are all facing, what plans are in place with regards to expected sea level rise, and shoreline resiliency? | Davis McCallum, East Mountain Road South | Note from HHFT |
14 | The disastrous planting at Dockside has been excused by HHFT as December flooding and summer drought. Has the whole trail been planned without taking those 2 common phenomena into consideration? | Sheila P. Rauch, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
4 | How does the design of the riverside walkway from Dockside Park to LSP help protect the shoreline from current periodic flooding events as well as predicted sea level rise? | Lynn Miller, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
134 | This town has so many pressing issues that could benefit from the kind of resources being spent on this single, controversial project. Would the town and villages demand concessions from the Fjord Trail's chief backer, whose wealth has floated the project to this point? If just a small percentage of what's being spent on the Fjord Trail were spent on the town's Rec. Department, for example, the department might actually be able to expand its services to accommodate all of the community's children. | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
155 | What is your plan to rescue lost, sick, or injured hikers? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
156 | Who will be responsible for the trash pick-up, pay for helicopters to rescue hikers, and other costs associated with 600,000 tourists a year? | Cynthia Kling, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
159 | What provisions have been projected for the abatement of river pollution from trash thrown into the Hudson River from the “HHFT” boardwalk, and for the regular collection of trash on the boardwalk? | Steven Sohn, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
163 | How will HHFT support local emergency services to handle the demand that the Fjord trail will bring? | Teresa Lagerman, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
203 | This attraction seems likely to be featured in guidebooks and travel blogs, and could easily become a national and international destination. Have there been studies of visitation/usage that take this into account? Could there be tens of thousands of visitors on some weekends? And, is NYS taking into account the enormous impact this would have on the area's ecology, population, and natural resources? | Eric Tipler, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
62 | Of course with out mentioning any names why do I get the same answer from several folks who were or are members of the steering committee that I've interviewed that they felt that they had no input to the process and were in name only? | John Zuvic, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
171 | I was one of the locals who took videos of traffic on 9D. We wanted a simple trail to get hikers safely off the road. Yet HHFT admits this boardwalk is designed to attract more visitors-other than hikers. So how is this a solution to hikers on the road? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
141 | With the expected increase in tourism after the completion of the Fjord Trail, will the be a tax impact on local residents? For example, will our taxes go up in order to pay for maintenance, police coverage, rescues, etc? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
80 | How can you include Cold Spring citizens, who have an excellent feel for our village, its character, terrain, and downtown, in the deliberative process of connecting our town to the Fjord Trail? | Dar Williams, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
91 | The DGEIS has been six years in the making but under SEQRA only a 30-day comment period is allowed. Will NYSOPHRP commit to extending this to 60 days, and extending the deadline for publication until accurate and meaningful data relating to traffic & visitation, especially, has been collected & submitted? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
79 | Christopher Davis and his family's charitable foundation have donated tens of millions of dollars to this project and to Scenic Hudson and substantial amounts to all the local environmental groups, including approx. 30% of the Hudson Highlands Land Trust's budget and $100k per year to the Riverkeeper, from 2018-202 [sic]. Why should the residents feel confident that these donations have not biased the environmental reviews of this project? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
45 | How can the public provide real input on the Fjord Trail? | Kathleen McLane, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
139 | What are the projected costs for construction of the Fjord Trail in detail? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
129 | Does neither the donor nor the NYS Parks care about desecrating a historic and beloved view, made famous by some of the most respected American painters in the world? | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
153 | What is your plan for disasters such as wildfires, flooding and wind damage due to extreme weather events, and train derailments? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
149 | Will any funds for the Fjord Trail be covered by the recent Environmental Bond Issue? If so, how much, for what, and why were local communities not apprised of this? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
97 | In 2022, Amy Kacala said a more recent traffic count was needed for the DGEIS. However, the DGEIS is slated to come out in October of this year. Leaf season, Cold Spring's busiest, runs through November. How will the DGEIS accurately depict/predict traffic without data from leaf season? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
145 | How much public money (from the federal, state, county and local levels) will this project cost? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
95 | How can this project have gotten this far without a traffic study that includes Main Street and 9D on weekends on peak visitor days? | Sheila P Rauch, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
151 | How do you plan to handle situations in which visitors to the Trail behave in ways you did not anticipate - fighting, drinking, drug use, smoking, setting campfires, inappropriate disposal of rash or dog waste, having unannounced bike races during times of high pedestrian traffic, etc? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
138 | Were any funds in the 2024 proposed state budget earmarked for the Fjord Trail? If so, how much and for what? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
158 | How many bathrooms will be built and whois going to maintain them? | Fred Martin, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
137 | The Walkway Over the Hudson experienced substantial increases in the costs of materials such as concrete and steel bar stock during construction. This project is projected to take 5 years, probably longer, to complete. What contingencies are in place to cover cost overruns and who will be responsible for them? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
100 | For the Breakneck Connector and Bridge, which agency approvals and permits have been obtained to date? Which agency approvals and permits are required prior to construction? Has MNR accepted the proposed design? What is the anticipated start date for construction? | David May, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
93 | Has an independent economic impact study been conducted for the Fjord Trail, and if so, what were its findings and where are they publicly available? Did it include the Village of Cold Spring, and if so, where is that information available? If not, why not? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
68 | All public-private partnerships have documentation as to each party's role in the partnership. The HHFT staff have continually stated that HHFT will manage Dockside as well as the entire trail. Where are the documents saying as much? Which state agencies have participated in negotiations? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
150 | Supports of the project have been quoted as saying that this project will generate revenue to support critical infrastructure. In regard to the Village of Cold Spring, beyond the bathrooms, what infrastructure is being referred to and why is this comment continually being quoted if it is untrue? | Judith K. Rose, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
143 | Is any part of the $200 million allocated to Parks in the 2024 State Budget request allocated to the Fjord Trail? What does NYSOPHRP estimate its maximum commitments to the Fjord Trail through 2028, or completion of construction, to be? Who will finance any funding deficits in overall construction costs? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
60 | Why was HHFT invited to answer our questions? NYS Parks is the project applicant and the lead agency. HHFT is not listed in the SEQR documentation, except for the Breakneck Connector portion. Scenic Hudson is listed only as "Project Manager," which is not an official role in the SEQR legislation. | Peter Henderson, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
197 | One of the main reasons for my moving to Philipstown was access to the Hudson and local trails. My access to all this is limited now by overcrowding. Many aspects of my enjoyment are ruined by overuse and disrespect for the rules. I fear that my now limited access will be further restricted, and my enjoyment lost altogether. What, if any, accommodations have been made for residents? I ask that residents, at the very least, be considered for special parking and access that might partially compensate for all the losses already suffered. | MJ Phillips, North Highlands | Note from HHFT |
160 | The Fjord Trail Connector EAF cites 9D being reduced to one lane of traffic 8-9 weeks at a time during construction over years. 9D is our route of escape should something go awry at Indian Point. What provisions are in place for the public in case of emergency during construction? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
37 | The current dramatic expansion of the project appears to increase the parking and over tourism problems it was supposed to address. How can this project be returned to the original project the community supported and protect the quality of life of our small town? | Irene Karlen, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
193 | If the trail begins at Dockside, visitors will drive there. Where are they supposed to park? | Teresa Lagerman, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
34 | Assuming the "boardwalk" doesn't get built from Dockside to Breakneck can Cold Spring manage with improvements going back to Plan A on Main St., down Fair St. to Little Stony Point? | John Zuvic, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
24 | Why is the state planning to build a major attraction in a tightly bounded riverside area with very few access points and natural chokepoints (mountains, river) that limit ingress and egress? | Eric Tipler, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
64 | Has New York State Parks and/or their agents offered or indicated that with significant donations from outside sources or contributions that they may or could be granted naming rights to the project or any part of this segmented HHFT project. Further, would this allow the applicant or NYS Parks or their agents, the ability to offer or provide concessions throughout any part of this the proposed project. | Gordon Reid - Robertson, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
118 | Since the Fjord Trail is committed to addressing safety issues around Breakneck Ridge and traffic issues in the Village of Cold Spring and beyond, how can the Village and Town constructively and amicably collaborate with the Fjord Trail and State Parks to maximize the benefits of the project to the community? | Richard Krupp, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
117 | Has the Village of Cold Spring or its Board contemplated hiring a "Forensic Economist "to evaluate the economic fallout / impact (on behalf of the villages) regarding the above privately sponsored Boardwalk included in the proposed HHFT plan. This evaluation would not just encompass the obvious Macro-Economic devastation to our community (i.e. Infrastructure, Traffic, loss of community). But would include a Micro- Economic analysis that could in the long run present far greater detriment and on a perpetual basis to our village(s), residents and property owners. This would include non-obvious and perpetual detriments such as (decades of Pensions for additional employees/ hires). Insurance, too, would be affected due to the increased projected statistical loss probability. This would be predicated on the significant increase in the village(s) daytime population when compared with a current official population of 2000 official residents. | Gordon Reid - Robertson, Cold Spring | N/A—question is for Village of Cold Spring elected officials |
83 | Since 2010, how much private funding has HHFT's Board Chair directed to local and regional non- profits such as Scenic Hudson, HHFT, Riverkeeeper, NY/NJ Trails and Hudson Highlands Land Trust - in the aggregate and per organization, per year. | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
84 | Was NYC (with access to its water supply) brought in as a stakeholder as a means to push the Breakneck Connector segment of the project through because the Fjord Trail had been given a Positive Declaration? Was this a way of circumventing the SEQR process? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
88 | Has one of or collectively the Boards of The Village of Nelsonville, Village of Cold Spring and Town of Philipstown formally invited Mr. Chris Davis ( Board Chair HHFT inc. & Garrison homeowner) to address our community at the 5/8 meeting? No surrogates, no consultants or PR aides. | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
29 | Is Little Stony Point being considered as the primary entrance to the trail, instead of Dockside? | Karen Shea, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
22 | Throughout NYS trails have been closed for various reasons. If we close the now new one way ascent up Breakneck all together we don't even need another bridge over the tracks there. Reach the summit from the north and south by other trails. Why can't we eliminate another infrastructure cost? | John Zuvic, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
123 | The Dockside Park Cooperative Agreement expires on 4/14/28, coincidentally about the time the Fjord Trail is slated for completion. How does NYSOPRHP plan to dispose of it after that date? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
23 | The goal of the modest original plan, which the community supported, was to address safety, parking and overtourism. They suggested such measures as ticketing improperly parked cars and limiting tourism. Why can’t that be implemented right now? | Irene Karlen, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
48 | Assuming transparency is important to Scenic Hudson/ HFFT, where are the partnership agreements between/among public agencies, Scenic Hudson/HHFT documenting the objectives, financial commitments, governance rules, names, titles, and contact information of roles accountable, obligations and responsibilities of each party involved in the Fjord Trail Development? When will they be published to a central location for public access? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
186 | People will continue to come to our beautiful town. This can not be stopped, so we must have a plan to deal with this influx of people (who are not our enemies.) My question is: Where will the parking lots be located and, of course, where will the trail start? | Trisha Mulligan, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
165 | Is the MTA all right with all non permit parking spots being taken by trail visitors? | Sheila P Rauch, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
164 | Do you intend for the Village of Cold Spring to be responsible for this trash collection? | Steven Sohn, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
44 | What will the trail—in its entirety—look like? How many trees will be removed? How high will fencing be throughout? How will the trail be built along the river bank. Why haven't we seen final plans? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
96 | For Breakneck Connector, is NYS funding involved? How construction of the project being procured? Is the project subject to an RFP and public bid process in line with standard NYS agency procurement procedures? Is this information a public record? | David May, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
28 | Why has the Fjord "Trail" pictured on a poster at the Cold Spring station morphed into a 12-foot- wide raised boardwalk surrounded by a chain link fence? Why not a natural trail? | Hope Scott Rogers, Philipstown | Social Media Post |
175 | As a resident of Fair Street in Cold Spring, I want to know why a sidewalk has been taken off the table as an alternate way to get people to the HHFT? It is probably the most walked on street without a sidewalk in the county and would greatly prevent congestion at Dockside park which is a much trickier access point and would not require putting chain link fences along the railroad tracks obscuring the world-famous view of the river and Storm King along Fair Street. | Kelley Linhardt, Philipstown | Note from HHFT |
51 | The berm at Dockside Park: who authorized this, at what cost and where was it stipulated in the Scope of Work? This type of so far unexplained activity goes to the heart of the issues of transparency, accountability and trust about the handling of this proposed project. | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
73 | Why has Scenic Hudson, who took on the leadership role of this project very early on, decided recently to form a subsidiary, the HHFT, with Christopher Davis, the major private donor to this project, as the chair? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
54 | Has there been pressure on select local residents and officials from wealthy stakeholders to support the HHFT? | Kelly House, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
56 | Why is all the information so hard to get and what is Chris Davis's involvement in this new attraction? | Cynthia Kling, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
63 | If the HHFT eventually takes over the management of Dockside, as it says it will, will it sign a legally binding agreement that says it will seek approval from the Village on any significant commercial proposal presented to NYS Parks? | Gretchen Dykstra, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
53 | If HHFT and NYS OPRHP are truly interested in partnering with the Village of Cold Spring, why will they not submit an application to the Village of Cold Spring Planning Board - regardless of the Village of Cold Spring's legal standing? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
42 | Can Parks consider and manage (with the new bathrooms discussed at Little Stony Point) to take the trail from the road crossing there to the Cornish Trail on towards Breakneck with the other improvements? | John Zuvic, Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
50 | We live in a nationally recognized historic district and go before the Historic District Review Board for changes to our residences when visible from the street. The HHFT will radically change the character of our town and be visible to all. When will it go before our village boards? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
189 | Are there any plans to work with NYSDOT to install a complete sidewalk connection from the village traffic light to Little Stony Point along Route 9D? | Richard Shea, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
70 | Where do each our elected local officials - Philipstown, Cold Spring, Nelsonville Boards - all members & Nancy Montgomery stand on the HHFT; what are their reservations and what would they amend if given the opportunity? | Kelly House, Village of Nelsonville | Note from HHFT |
128 | Is this just an easy dumping ground for Dept of parks? | Cynthia Kling, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
27 | Can the plan be scaled down to include only the trail and the train/car parking to access the trail? The trail is a great idea. Access for all abilities is important. We don't need all the other stuff. | Michael Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
174 | Before making big structural changes I would like to know what you are doing about currently existing problems: Speed limit on Rt. 9 D should be lowered to at least 40. Who can do this? DOT? | Constancia Dinky Romilly, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
61 | There’s a significant amount of concern whether this project is a “ public” or “ private” development. It appears at various times to move back and forth depending on the outcome desired. For example: In the revised 2020 Master Plan, there’s significant references to a new private 501c3 called Fjord Trail Inc. If this entity is in fact responsible for all the areas referenced has that entity entered into a formal agreement with NYS Parks and if so why hasn’t that been released publicly? | Joe Curto, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
104 | If NYS "Threatened" Fence Lizards were to be found at Little Stony Point or in areas along the proposed trail itself, contrary to what previous research may have determined, how would that affect the construction plans? | Pete Salmansohn, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
2 | Building the proposed structure from Dockside Park to Breakneck Ridge, on the narrow area between the train tracks and the river, will necessitate cutting trees and disturbing the river shore. How can you justify this elimination of nesting areas, erosion of riverbank support (tree roots), and stripping of natural resources? | Hope Scott Rogers, Philipstown | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:35:14' |
59 | The Fjord Trail's finances are murky, and the relationship between HHFT, Scenic Hudson, and the state Parks Dept. is ill-defined. What is stopping the Fjord Trail from being more forthcoming about its finances? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Note from HHFT |
71 | Why have HHFT and Parks been reticent to offer documents concerning their partnership? Why have our (Cold Spring) mayor's requests for transparency in these matters been ignored? If this project is to help solve locally recognized problems, why the secrecy? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
30 | Why are there no artist renderings of the elevated boardwalk showing the supports, height of the boardwalk, height of the fencing/rails or its proximity to the river and Metro North tracks? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
90 | Please clearly demonstrate that HHFT is not significantly undercounting expected visitation in order to avoid exceeding new parking thresholds that could contribute towards triggering a positive declaration in regards to the forthcoming DGEIS? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Note from HHFT |
199 | Visitation: How many people are projected to use the trail annually upon opening? After 5 years? After 10 years? What are these projections based on? Be specific. | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:13:52' AND 01:19:49' |
188 | Where will visitors park? | Sara Yano, North Highlands | Social Media Post |
185 | If the parking lots and spaces overflow and there continues to be parking along 9D or on private property, will the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Scenic Hudson support vigorous enforcement, that is, ticketing and towing of offending vehicles? | Delmar Karlen, Garrison | Social Media Post |
184 | As in the Kevin Costner movie, Field of Dreams: "If You Build It, They Will Come". So, when they get here, where are they going to park? | Brant Thomas, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
166 | What is the real traffic and parking management plan for the Village of Cold Spring, for people who drive to walk the boardwalk at Dockside Park. How will it be enforced? | Judith K. Rose, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
157 | Once the Fjord Trail is completed, who will maintain the trail and associated facilities (e.g, bathrooms) and who will pay for that? | David Limburg, Village of Nelsonville | Social Media Post |
32 | Would you consider changing the Trail’s Gateway to the Dutchess Manor/HHFT hub in lieu of Dockside Park? | Kelly House, Village of Nelsonville | Social Media Post |
140 | How is this project being funded and who will who will maintain the new restrooms, pick up the garbage, and take care of the trail? | Christine Ashburn, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
173 | With the combined environmental impacts of sustainability, carbon footprint, traffic safety, congestion and parking, why is there no requirement for hikers to park and taking the train from the Croton Harmon Metro North Station from the south. | Timothy Donovan, Garrison | Social Media Post |
38 | We understand there are to be new playgrounds at Little Stony Point as part of the trail extensions. We already have playgrounds here in Cold Spring. Why should money be spent on things that are redundant? Why tamper with a natural river setting to build what we already have? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
40 | Several members of various boards have said the Fjord Trail is a done deal because the tourists/hikers are already here - and that there’s no point in re-thinking it. Do you agree? Would you be willing to pause its development and go as far as redesigning certain aspects of it so that the villages of CS and N do not bear the brunt of the crush of tourism it will bring? | Kelly House, Village of Nelsonville | Social Media Post |
25 | Will the entire fjord trail and new restrooms be ADA compliant? | Aaron Leonard, Village of Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
26 | What accessibility considerations are being incorporated into the Fjord Trail’s design? | Marina Martin, Garrison | Social Media Post |
122 | Now it's almost all millennials who come to hike Breakneck. I think people want to know how the FT might allow and encourage a broader group - families with children, older folks, etc. - both locals and visitors, to experience the beauty of the Highlands? | Fred Rich, Garrison | Social Media Post |
120 | Can we change the name? We don’t want the world to think we are so ignorant as to think the Hudson River between Cold Spring and Beacon is a fjord. It is an estuary so call it a proposal for an estuary trail if you must. | Constancia Dinky Romilly, Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
125 | Why is it called a fjord trail when the State’s own signage at Little Stony Point refers to it as a ‘tidal estuary’? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Social Media Post |
3 | Seven significant ecological communities, identified by the New York Natural Heritage Program, as well as Endangered and Threatened Species exist in the trail corridor. A far more modest Fjord Trail proposal was given a Positive Declaration in 2015. What has changed to make these habitats and species less vulnerable now? | Susan Peehl, Village of Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:46:14 |
10 | If the environmental review reveals that there will be significant impacts to species such as New England cottontail, cerulean warblers and submerged vegetation will the project be canceled? | Lauren Martin, North Highlands | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:39:22 |
208 | How can HHFT and NYS OPRHP claim they are solving the Village of Cold Spring's tourist problems when they are creating a major tourist attraction that will bring thousands more visitors to the Village of Cold Spring? | Dave Merandy, Village of Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:10:20 |
7 | MNR has requested a 25’ buffer between tracks and trail, meaning EVERY TREE along the river will be removed to accommodate a 14’ wide boardwalk shading the shoreline and preventing regrowth. How does this protect against flooding? | Grace Kennedy, Garrison | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:32:25 |
178 | HHFT predicts an increase of hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, with upwards of 66% arriving by vehicle. All vehicles arriving from the South and East must pass through the traffic light at Routes 9D/301. Will DGEIS address this increased traffic? How will negative impacts be mitigated? NYCRR Part 617.9(a)(b)? | David May, Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:28:30 |
12 | I watched the waterfront development at Beacon station for 7 years, from the start. We know that much of the river shoreline has been disturbed for over a hundred years. The restoration brought back wildlife and habitat including pollinators and native plants. What kind of plans are there to restore the natural habitat that existed pre industrial revolution and how will the restoration help mitigate the rising water levels caused by climate change? | Adam Osterfeld, North Highlands | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:41:56 |
204 | What is the projected increase in visitation to Hudson Highlands State Park? The Breackneck trailhead? The Village of Cold Spring? And what methodology was used to arrive at these projections? Specifically what time of year was traffic data gathered? What other projects, parks and attractions were used as comparables? | Michael Bowman, Village of Nelsonville | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:18:46 |
69 | Will the Fjord Trail be built even if a majority of people in the community are against it? | Alice Krakauer, Philipstown | Joint Public Session Recording - 00:19:02 |
161 | How will HHFT support the Village of Cold Spring to handle the increased strain in its infrastructure that the Fjord trail will bring? This is not a bathroom question -- the Village as it is can barely keep up with sidewalk repairs, garbage pickup, maintenance of the water treatment plant, etc. | Teresa Lagerman, Village of Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:52:34 |
107 | The Fjord Trail will have a big impact, but we have no data on what this impact (social, environmental, economic) will look like. Where are the studies that typically accompany projects of this large scale? Can we expect to see such analyses so we can have a fact-based debate? | David Duffy, Philipstown | Joint Public Session Recording - 01:00:01 |
35 | Given the concerns about 600,000 visitors using the Fjord Trail and potentially swamping the tiny Cold Spring Village on weekends, is it possible to have the Dutchess Manor site be promoted from the outset as the focal point/centerpiece for HHFT visitors...particularly those coming by car? This central point would have trail info, food, tons of parking, and be the designated starting point for trail access. All trail guide brochures, advertising, and other marketing information would direct visitors to this central point, noting that other trail access points may be available. Surely some will still come by train to the Cold Spring, Beacon, and Breakneck stations, and others drive and park at other areas along the trail, but having the focus on this mid-trail site should cause less stress on CS Village resources and residents. | Cathy Carnevale, Village of Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 00:56:19 |
21 | What viable alternatives to the proposed Fjord Trail have been proposed and evaluated, including alternative alignments and no build/no action options? Why are earlier iterations, much smaller in scope, impact, scale & cost to the taxpayer, no longer under consideration? What is the current status of any of these? | Andrew Hall, Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Recording - 00:45:00 |
55 | It's understood there is a fine line in this so-called public/private partnership between NYS and Scenic Hudson/HHFT. If this is truly a public project, exempt from local planning board oversight, then agenda and minutes from meetings under this partnership would be required under Open Meetings law. If this is truly a private project, then local board oversight is required by law and minutes can be hidden/withheld from the public. In this case, which is it? Ethically you shouldn’t claim both. Wouldn’t you agree? | Stephanie Hawkins, Cold Spring | Joint Public Session Slides |
36 | A trail between Cold Spring and Beacon is a great idea. But the "add-ons" will totally change the character of the area the Fjord Trail claims to celebrate. Why must we accept the "add-ons" along with the trail? | Ned Rauch, Garrison | Joint Public Session Recording - 00:49:02 |
47 | I liked this plan when it was a wooded trail. It transformed into a concrete extravaganza that will scar the landscape forever due to the influence of a private donor, Chris Davis. Even Parks deferred to him. Who elected him? How is he accountable? | Phil Weiss, North Highlands | Joint Public Session Recording - 00:25:12 |
Photography: Meredith Heuer
Architectural illustration: SCAPE Landscape Architecture
Illustration: Donna Calcavecchio