Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates
ARTA's Open Latter to Governor Cuomo
ARTA today sent the attached open letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo with copies to the relevant state agencies and Adirondack Park advocacy groups. The letter expresses the ARTA board's concern about the unnecessary multi-year construction plan for the trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake in contrast to the expedited construction of new rails south of Tupper Lake. There is no responsible study of potential ridership on that southern section and no qualified train operator, making this rushed construction what one town supervisor called a "boondoggle". In contrast, the three year delay in building out the recreational trail will cost local communities $20mm per year in lost revenue.
Adirondack Rail Trail progress report
Railroad Tracks Between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid are gone and soon ties and metal spikes and connectors will be collected. Excitement about the trail is growing. Unfortunately, the state says it will take up to three years to complete the trails construction.
State Agencies Announce Key Milestone for Adirondack Rail Trail
Removal of Railroad Tracks Between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid is First Step in Developing World-Class Recreational Trail. Track removal began in October, 2020. Completion of the Adirondack Rail Trail by 2024 is planned. The project is based on the final Corridor Unit Management Plan that was approved in the spring of 2020.
DEC and DOT issue
Draft Amendment to the 1996 Remsen-Lake
Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan and Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
The New York
State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and
Transportation (DOT) are seeking public review and comment on a
Draft Amendment to the
1996 Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan and
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Once the hearings are complete and the written comments reviewed, DEC and DOT will submit a final UMP to the Adirondack Park Agency for approval, after which construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail can begin. For more background on this decade-long process, click here.
DEC and DOT Seek
Public Input on Future Use of Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor
First Step in Amending
Unit Management Plan to Create Recreational Trail between Lake
Placid and Tupper Lake
Deadline for Comments is Aug. 10
The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
and Transportation (DOT) are seeking public review and comment on a
Draft Scoping Document to determine the future use of the Remsen to
Lake Placid Travel Corridor. The draft scoping document identifies
potential impacts of the proposed action to be analyzed in a Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) and the
Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan (UMP) 2019
Amendment.
Upon final
approval, the Draft Scoping Document, DSEIS, and Draft UMP Amendment
will allow the State to transfer jurisdiction of the segment of the
Travel Corridor between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid from DOT to DEC,
and develop a multi-use recreational trail in the segment managed by
DEC.
The DSEIS and
the Draft UMP Amendment will be prepared to comply with the State
Environmental Quality Review Act, and the Adirondack Park State Land
Master Plan.
The State has
completed, or is currently undertaking, the following actions to
move
forward with the Draft UMP Amendment/DSEIS for the Travel Corridor:
·
APA approved
an amendment to the APSLMP to revise the definition of Travel
Corridor that allows recreational use on the Travel Corridor, which
was signed by the Governor on June 21, 2019;
·
DEC has
acquired the parcels within the Travel Corridor located in the North
Country Community College campus;
·
DEC and the
North Elba-Lake Placid Historical Society are partnering on an
access agreement to allow public access to the Society’s lands
around the Lake Placid Depot; and
·
A draft
historic mitigation plan is being developed in accordance with the
New York State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) to address potential
adverse impacts to the corridor and which will be included in the
draft UMP amendment/DSEIS as an appendix.
In addition, DOT is
preparing to rehabilitate the railway between Big Moose and Tupper
Lake.
A public meeting will be held to receive comment on the Draft UMP
Amendment/ DSEIS when these documents are released for public
review. The
Draft Scoping
Document is available on the DEC website.
DEC and DOT
are accepting public comment until August 10. Written comments may
be mailed to John Schmid, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY,
12233-4254 or e-mailed to
adirondackpark@dec.ny.gov.
APA SENDS RAIL-TRAIL CHANGE TO GOVERNOR
On March 8, 2018 the Adirondack Park Agency proposed changes to the State Land Master Plan that would accommodate rail trails. Hearings were held in April 2018 and a public comment period was provided until May 7, 2018. On December 13, 2018 the APA voted to change the Travel Corridors classification definition to permit recreational activity sanctioned under an approved Unit Management Plan (UMP). This change is now awaiting Governor Cuomo's signature. Once approved, the DEC and DOT can restate the UMP process for the Remsen-Lake Placid travel corridor. Assuming a new UMP is issued in early 2019 construction of the 34-mile rail-trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake could take place in 2020.
The proposed revision Involves the Travel Corridors Classification, Category Definition, and Guidelines for Management and Use Three Public Hearings Scheduled: April 11, April 24 and April 25. The notice of revision and hearings is linked here.
The Adirondack Park Agency will meet this week to consider changes to the State Land Use Master Plan that would allow for rail trail construction on qualifying rail lines across the state. The primary target is the Adirondack Rail Trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake whose construction was halted by a court order based on the definition of a 'travel corridor'. Rail trails would now be a sub-category of travel corridor. More detail is in this article from the March 6, 2018 Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
St Lawrence County and the Village of Lake Placid have joined the Beaver River Property Owners, and the towns of Piercefield, North Elba, and Tupper Lake have all passed resolutions in favor of completing the Adirondack Rail Trail. There are more resolutions on the way. The current set is linked here.
On November 2, 2017 the state Attorney General's office filed a notice of appeal in the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court to challenge Judge Robert Main's ruling invalidating the 2016 Unit Management Plan for the Remsen-Lake Placid rail corridor. The Times-Union article detailing this is linked here.
In a press release dated October 11, PTNY stated "Parks & Trails New York and other rail-trail supporters contend that multi-use trails do provide transportation whether by bicycle, foot, or snowmobile." "PTNY will continue to support the development of the Adirondack Rail Trail as we strongly believe it will provide innumerable recreational, transportation, and economic benefits for Adirondack communities." A recent OpEd piece in the Albany Times Union reaffirmed this positon.
As local municipalities along the proposed Adirondack Rail Trail confront the loss of projected tourism and revenue they are asking the State to intervene. The first to formally pass a resolution doing that is the Town of North Elba, whose resolution is linked here. We will post additional resolutions as they are passed.
Recent survey results from survey posted to both railroad support pages and ARTA support pages. 478 respondents, with some interesting feedback. Click here to see the results
ARTA issued the attached press release on October 6, 2017 setting forth its position on the ruling by Judge Main (see following article). An ARTA Board member, Lee Keet, published a Guest Editorial in the Adirondack Enterprise and the Adirondack Almanack giving some of the rationale for the ARTA decision.
The judge ruled primarily based on his interpretation of the definition of "travel corridor" as used in the State Land Use Master Plan (SLMP). Judge Main's ruling is linked here.
The judge ignored the definition in the document that classifies the Remsen to Lake Placid railroad right-of-way as a travel corridor and relied instead on the examples of travel corridors in the SLMP that refer to railroad lines and highways. He concluded that the UMP was therefore attempting to modify the SLMP, which is expressly prohibited. The other major claim in the ruling related to the mitigation of rail-trail conversion on the corridor's historic preservation status. This has already been addressed by the State but after the UMP was filed and should not be a barrier should the State re-start the UMP approval process. Similarly, even though not in the plaintiff's complaint, the judge included the three parcels with unclear title in his ruling. This too has been addressed by the State and again would not appear to be an issue in a re-do of the UMP.
The State has several paths that it can follow in responding to the court's invalidation of the 2016 UMP . It can (i) accept the court's ruling and continue to operate under the 1996 UMP, (ii) appeal the court's ruling on the basis of judicial error, or (iii) re-start the UMP revision process correcting the perceived or real errors.
The first option is totally unacceptable to ARTA, to the towns and municipalities along the corridor and to the thousands of petitioners for conversion to a recreation trail. The second option is problematic because the court is correct that the historic preservation mitigation should have pre-dated the approval of the UMP but that in and of itself may not be sufficient to vacate the entire 2016 UMP, especially given the judge’s probably erroneous interpretation of the definition of a “travel corridor”.
The third option is the most
certain path to getting the result desired by the
communities and the Governor.
It is also the simplest since all of the work
has been done before.
To get a “belt and suspenders” result the
SLMP should be clarified once again to make the
definition of “travel corridor” crystal clear, but
the process of drafting the UMP, supporting it with
evidence, holding hearings, etc. should all ARTA's recommendation
is to start the do-over now while
launching an appeal separately.
The Adirondack Rail Trail between Lake Placid
and Tupper Lake has received all of the necessary state approvals,
and construction is planned to begin this summer.
However, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad (ASR)
filed suit to block construction, claiming a number of procedural
errors and a failure to comply with state law, despite NYSDEC,
NYSDOT, NYSAPA and the Governor’s office all having approved the
trail plans after many public hearings.
ARTA has joined with the State’s Attorney
General in asking the court to toss out the ASR’s blocking action.
Our friend-of-the-court brief was drafted by former congressman Bill
Owens and will be reviewed by the court this month.
On May 17, 2016 Governor Andrew Cuomo approved the construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake. See the attached official press release for details. ARTA will continue to press for (i) rapid construction of the trail and (ii) conversion of the remainder of the corridor south of Tupper Lake to recreation uses if the suggested upgrade to rail service does not materialize with a responsible operator and a believable plan for its success.
On February 12th the APA voted almost unanimously to support the proposed rail-trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake and the possible extension of rail service north from Big Moose to Tupper Lake. ARTA has supported this so-called "compromise" in the belief that the 34-mile segment from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake will be so successful that the remaining section from Tupper Lake to Remsen (Old Forge) will surely follow. We will continue to oppose any expenditure of taxpayer funds for rail restoration without a complete economic and environmental impact study and the award of any long-term contract to operate trains that does not include financial and performance guarantees such as performance bonds given the likelihood of minimal demand for train services north of Old Forge.
The next, and final step, unless a legal challenge is mounted,
will be publication of the final management plan by DEC and DOT.
This should happen soon.
Tupper Lake will be a massive beneficiary of the State's plan to create the Adirondack Rail Trail from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake. The State also proposes bringing occasional tourist train service north from Big Moose where there has been very limited demand for transit beyond Old Forge. The President of the Adirondack Scenic Railway was quoted in a public hearing as saying "we do not want to go to Tupper Lake." Nonetheless, the plan is now what the State will do, and ARTA supports it so long as proper controls are put in place before the taxpayers are asked to build another 'bridge to nowhere'. To stress their support for the rail-trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake, and the hope that their winter business could be strengthened by increased snowmobile traffic from Old Forge, 112 Tupper Lake businesses have petitioned the State to implement the plan put forward by the NYSDEC and NYSDOT as soon as possible.
The Winter, 2016 edition of rails to trails, the magazine of the
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, presents a
report on page 26 summarizing comprehensive survey of trail
managers that attempted to better understand maintenance costs of
trails.
Results of this survey show that maintenance costs typically are not
as high as trail managers anticipated. Per-mile yearly average costs
for rail-trail maintenance assessed in the study ranged from $1,000
to $2,000, depending on whether the trail was asphalt or stone dust.
Their assessment supports the findings of the more detailed budgets
that a few dozen trail managers provided, which averaged $2026 per
mile per year. This figure includes the value of volunteer service,
which was assigned an equivalent hourly rate. When compared against
the finding that 58 percent of trails reported using volunteers,
these annual cost figures may decrease significantly. Approximately
200 respondents representing rural (37 percent), urban (14 percent),
suburban (13 percent) and mixed rural/suburban (36 percent)
rail-trails participated in the survey. More details and access the
full study are on the
RTC Resource Library.
Here is how this may relate to the Adirondack Rail Trail:
· The estimated maintenance cost
per mile for non-asphalt trails was $1,006, lower than $1,478 per
mile reported by RTC in 2004, and 32.9% lower than the
NYS DEC/DOT estimate of $1500/year.
· Snow removal, a significant
expense on many rail-trails, will likely not be an issue on the
Adirondack Rail Trail.
· Given the tradition of
volunteer trail maintenance activities in the Adirondack region, we
are confident that significant volunteer labor will be available to
assist with maintenance of the Adirondack Rail Trail, reducing
maintenance costs.
The State has published the Final UMP for the Remsen-Lake Placid rail corridor. The next step is for the Adirondack Park Agency to approve it and to schedule 30-days for public comment.
ARTA applauds the State for understanding the value of recreation to both visitors and residents of the Adirondacks and for its decision to join hundreds of other locales in creating a rail-trail from its largely abandoned Remsen-Lake Placid corridor. At the same time, we regret their decision to do only half of the trail and to leave the Tupper Lake to Old Forge portion open for "rail development" that no one wants and that no one can pay for. ARTA's press release on this topic is linked here.
The State's proposals for alternative snowmobile routes do not hide the fact that the rail corridor is a key connector in the winter and that leaving the rails in place will substantially reduce the financial impact on the towns it connects. The estimates of rail use are unsubstantiated and strain credulity. The right solution is, we think, to simple create a world-class recreation trail from Old Forge to Lake Placid.
Attached are twenty press reports on other rail-to-trail conversions, all with positive benefits for their communities and economies.
This past winter turned badly eroded ballast, rotted ties, and loose rails into a potential future disaster. There are now sections of the corridor between Remsen and Lake Placid that could not hold the 256,000 pound engine, and several of these sections are in environmentally sensitive areas where a derailment could be a true catastrophe. Pictured here are recent images of the Lake Colby Causeway, a 1/4 mile long earthen berm built more that a century ago that cut Lake Colby in two. With water on either side, eroded ballast, the few ties that remain unsupported, and rails that are held in place by very little, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Each year the Adirondack Scenic Railroad brings its engine and several cars north across this and other environmentally sensitive sections of the corridor. When the Lake Colby Association sued the scenic railroad company they immediately fixed that causeway, but other sections of the corridor remain woefully unsafe. Until these conditions are remedied, and inspected by other than ASR personnel, all such transit should be halted.
The NYSDOT and NYSDEC held four open hearings (see article below). At each hearing the State made a presentation that suggested that construction costs for a rail-trail would be roughly the same as those for rail reconstruction, that what they claimed were similar tourist train and rail-trail operations showed that both alternatives would attract tens of thousands of visitors, and that the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act would prevent any future rail restoration should that be desired. Since these hearings there has been a public outcry (see just one such comment here) over what is seen as the State's bias in favor of rail service, especially south of Tupper Lake. Multiple writers have pointed out that the "comparable" tourist train operation was in a major metropolitan area, not Utica north, and the "comparable" rail-trail was not yet even finished. [A valid comparison would have been the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail that attracts 250,000 visitors to a rural area].
Subsequent to the hearings after many inquiries the State admitted that its claims about the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act were false and that rail service could be restored at any time it seemed needed. ARTA pointed out that it had submitted a written proposal to the State from Iron Horse Preservation Society that, if accepted, would have allowed for construction of the rail-trail for no cost to the State. Further, ARTA noted that the estimates the State had presented for rail reconstruction would allow trains to travel at only 25mph, way too slow for the trip from Utica to Tupper Lake. For a complete list of State mis-statements and mis-representations click here.
All in all, the suspicion of State bias has tainted the entire process. ARTA will continue to press the State for a fair and unbiased decision based on facts.
The NYSDOT and NYSDEC have announced the public comment period and
four open hearings.
Click here for details and see subsequent article for the
background.
Public comment on amending the UMP is being accepted until December
15. Comments can be sent by email to nystravelcorridor@dot.ny.gov,
mailed to NYS Travel Corridor, NYS DOT Freight and Passenger Rail
Bureau, 50 Wolf Road, POD 5-4, Albany NY 12232 or provided verbally
during four public comment meetings scheduled to take place:
* October 28,6:00-8:00 PM in Utica at the State Office
Building
* October 29, 1:00-3:00 PM in Old Forge at the View
* November 6, 6:00-8:00 PM in Tupper Lake at the Wild Center
* November 7, 1:00-3:00 PM in Lake Placid at ORDA
New York State’s announcement made on July 9th
sets the stage for the construction of a multi-use recreation trail
that will link the Tri-Lakes, extending 34 miles from Lake Placid to
Tupper Lake.
Credit is due to Commissioners Joe Martens and
Joan McDonald for their leadership, the Governor’s staff for their
active contributions to the final proposal, the twelve
municipalities who passed resolutions pressing the State for this
review, and the 408 businesses and over 12,000 citizens who signed
petitions asking for a rail-trail.
Our studies suggest that this initial 34 mile
segment will attract no less than 56,000 new annual visitors and
ultimately as many as 250,000.
The impact on our local economies will be very significant,
adding between $5 and $20 million in new local spending.
For local residents the trail will provide a new, safe, way
to recreate and commute.
We anticipate that new amenities and businesses will sprout up to
serve the users of the trail, with resulting opportunities for
employment and investment.
We are obviously disappointed that the section
south of Tupper Lake was not included in the State’s plan,
especially since this is the most spectacularly scenic stretch of
the corridor. And
leaving the unused rails in place precludes much of the potential
winter benefit towns like Tupper Lake and Piercefield would get from
snowmobilers coming north from Old Forge.
However, we believe the first 34-mile section will
demonstrate how valuable a rail-trail can be to local communities,
with natural pressures to extend its reach.
ARTA will continue to work to make this trail a
success. We will
participate in the coming hearings and will continue to press the
case for the full 90-mile trail, for connector trails to the Rollins
Pond interior trail network and to the Wild Center in Tupper Lake,
for amenities and signage along the trail that highlight its unique
history, and for promotion of the trail to help us reach our visitor
goals.
But despite some disappointment this is a time
for thanks. To all of
you who have lobbied, petitioned, signed resolutions, published
editorials, or otherwise helped with this step in what has been a
three-year struggle, our thanks.
The latest news is linked here.
ARTA asks Senator Betty Little to take the stand asked for by her constituents
In an open letter to Senator Betty Little, Joe Mercurio, ARTA's President, asked Senator Little to do what 12 municipalities, 400+ businesses, 12000 individuals, and all of the key local editorial boards have asked - get the State to open up the rail corridor management plan for review.
The Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce joins appeals for UMP review
The Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce has joined 11 elected bodies in asking the State to promptly open the Unit Management Plan for the Rail Corridor for review, public input, and action. The tally so far is shown below:
| Resolutions passed by | Review UMP | Remove rails | Restore Train |
| Village of Lake Placid | ü | ||
| Town of North Elba | ü | ||
| St Lawrence County | ü | ||
| Village of Saranac Lake | ü | ||
| Village of Tupper Lake | ü | ü | |
| Town of Tupper Lake | ü | ü | |
| Town of Webb | ü | ||
| Town of Harrietstown | ü | ü | |
| Town of Piercefield | ü | ||
| Beaver River Property Owners | ü | ||
| NY State Snowmobile Association | ü | ||
| Town of Colton | ü | ||
| Town of Santa Clara | ü | ||
| Saranac Lake C of C | ü |
The Adirondack Rail Trail will create 387 local jobs!
A major reason for Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates' advocacy for the 90-mile Adirondack Rail Trail linking Lake Placid with Old Forge is the economic benefits it will bring to our communities. On average, every "new" dollar spent has $2 of economic impact. This, in turn, translates into jobs. Studies show that one permanent job equivalent is created for each $75,000 in new tourist spending. the Adirondack Rail Trail will bring in $27.5 million in new spending at the midpoint of current estimates and create 367 new local full-time job equivalents. For more detail click here.
The Village of Tupper Lake asks for the Adirondack Rail Trail now
At a meeting on October 22 the Tupper Lake Village Board passed a resolution asking for immediate conversion of the rail corridor from Old Forge to Lake Placid to a multi-use, multi-season recreation trail. This puts the count of formal votes by municipalities and associations along the corridor as shown in this table:
Towns of Tupper Lake and Harrietstown ask for the Adirondack Rail Trail now
At meetings on September 23 and 26 the Town Boards of Tupper Lake and Harrietstown asked that the State immediately convert the rail corridor between Lake Placid and Old Forge into a recreation trail.
400 local businesses ask State for Adirondack Rail Trail
A list of 400 local businesses have asked the State to build the Adirondack Rail Trail now! The full list and their petition is attached here.ARTA Releases Adirondack Rail Trail Proposal
On September 6th, 2013 ARTA released a detailed proposal for the construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail and an associated PowerPoint Presentation. At the same time, ARTA sent printed copies of this proposal to all of the relevant State agencies, Assemblymen and Senators, Town Supervisors, and news organizations along with a press release. In addition to the detailed proposal, ARTA released a large-format flyer showing the proposed trail and amenities along the way, as well as a detailed trail map.Corridor management plan hearings in September, 2013
A joint NYSDEC and NYSDOT task force will take public comments in September on the future of the Remsen - Lake Placid Rail Corridor.
Public
hearings will take place:
·
Monday, 9/9, 6-9 p.m. at 183 Park Avenue in Old Forge
·
Tuesday, 9/10, 1-4 p.m. at the DEC, 1115 State Route 86, in Ray Brook
·
Monday, 9/16, 1-4 p.m. at 207 Genesee Street, In Utica.
·
Tuesday, 9/17, 6-9 p.m.at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake
NYSTravelCorridor@dot.ny.gov, faxed to 518-457-3183, or mailed to
Raymond F.
Hessinger, Director, Freight & Passenger Rail Bureau, NYS Department
of Transportation, 50 Wolf Road, POD 54, Albany, NY 12232.
Santa Clara joins in calling for review of the corridor plan
The Town of Santa Clara has joined the other towns and villages along the proposed Adirondack Rail Trail in asking for State action. Here is a summary of resolutions to date:
Hundreds came to help us celebrate
After almost two years of prodding, over 12,000 petitions, resolutions by nearly every town and village along the corridor, articles and editorials in favor of the Adirondack Rail Trail in all of our local papers, New York finally agreed to review its management plan for the rail corridor connecting the Tri-Lakes Area with Old Forge.
On Friday July 26th at Heaven Hill Farm, Lake Placid, several hundred Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates came to celebrate and help us plan the next step: getting the great Adirondack Rail Trail approved for construction!
A special guest, Jim Weaver, Tioga County (PA) Planning Director presented the economic benefits of Pennsylvania’s famous Pine Creek Rail Trail.
New York says the corridor management plan will be reopened
Breaking news: on June 6th the State announced that the management plan for the travel corridor between Remsen and Lake Placid would be reviewed by an inter-agency task force led by the NYSDOT. The State's press release is linked here.
Albany Times Union in editorial calls on State to choose rails or trail and endorses trail.
See this link for the editorial
ARTA joins in demanding State review of the rail corridor management plan
On April 26th ARTA file a formal request with the State departments of Environmental Conservation and Transportation, and the Adirondack Park Agency, joining with the twelve municipalities and non-profit groups (see news item below) in asking for State action now. ARTA's press release is linked here and ARTA's letter to the State agencies can be found following this link.
State budgets $2 million for Catskill Rail Trail
The state budget adopted by the Senate includes $2 million for the
Catskill Mountain Rail Trail project in Ulster County.
“The growing popularity of rail trails presents a great economic
development opportunity,” said state Sen. Cecelia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg.
“Local rail trails attract hundreds of thousands of visitors who
pump millions of dollars into the local economy, help to grow local
businesses and create new jobs.”
For more, click here.
Olympians endorse Adirondack Rail Trail
Local Biathalon heroes Tim Burke, Anneilies Cook, Haley Johnson Stewart, and Lowell Bailey have leant their support to ads promoting the construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail. The ads (click here for a preview) will appear through the rest of this year in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the Adirondack Mountain Club's ADK Magazine, the Adirondack Explorer, Adirondack Life magazine andother.
Colton joins in calling for removing the rails
The Town of Colton has joined the other towns and villages along the proposed Adirondack Rail Trail in asking for State action, either immediate reopening of the corridor's Unit Management Plan (UMP), to allow all alternatives to be reexamined, or for immediate removal of the deteriorated rails and ties to convert the corridor to recreational use.
The chart to the right summarizes the formal actions taken by the affected towns, villages, counties, and citizen associations.
A complete set of resolutions as passed originally is linked on our Information Links Tab.
ARTA adds two board members
ARTA's Board of Directors grew to ten in early 2013.
David Banks was the first
pharmacist at the federal prison in Ray Brook. He and his wife
Stephanie competed in the first two Adirondack Canoe Classics.
Stephanie taught French
and Spanish in Lake Placid at North Country School and the
National Sports Academy.
She is now retired from teaching.
David completed a Masters in public policy in 2000 and a
Ph.D in 2004. They moved to Lake Clear in 2007 and resumed canoe
racing.
ARTA garners its 10,000th supporter!
On December 7th the 10,000th petitioner to the state for a recreational trail added her name to the petition started in September 2011.
Bicycle travel and tourism are booming
The Adventure Cycling Association has released a paper with nine indicators that bicycle travel and tourism are booming and that more and more bike paths are being built.
More obfuscation
The Adirondack Railroad Preservation Society (ARPS) and Iowa Pacific have announced a venture to bring "high end excursion passenger service between New York City and Lake Placid, utilizing restored Pullman railcars and sleeping cars" with "white glove service for the discerning traveler." Their announcement is clearly in response to the cascading litany of towns and villages who want the corridor's use reexamined (see below), but to include recreation as an option. They ignore the $43 million needed to put the tracks and ties in shape (NYSDOT estimate) and the fact that such service would do NOTHING for the towns and villages the occasional train full of high rollers would pass through. And that we had Pullman service in the railroad operation that failed 40+ years ago.
Go to our Article tab to read more, especially the OpEd pieces from Nov 7, Nov 14, and Nov 15. For a history of the rail line go to the article on Nov 12 by Tony Goodwin.
Harrietstown calls for rail corridor UMP Update
The Harrietston Town Board voted on November 16th to ask the State to reopen the Unit Management Plan for the train corridor between Lake Placid and Remsen. The Enterprise article is linked here.
Piercefield Board: Remove train tracks
The Piercefield Town Board voted to officially request that the state remove the train tracks between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. The vote was taken on October 11, 2012. An article in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise has the full story.
Tupper Lake calls for rail corridor UMP Update
The Tupper Lake Town Board voted on October 11th to ask the State to reopen the Unit Management Plan for the train corridor between Lake Placid and Remsen. An article in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise has the full story.
New York State Snowmobile Association: Remove train tracks
On October 6, 2012 NYSSA's board adopted "A Resolution In Support of the Efforts of The Adirondack Railroad Trail Advocates to Establish a Multi-Use Trail Along the Adirondack Railroad Transportation Corridor". The resolution states that the "NYSSA Board of Directors does hereby support the efforts of The Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates to have the rails removed" so a recreational trail can be created, and has sent copies of this resolution to the Governor, his commissioners, elected officials, and to the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages.
Lake Placid Village Board: Remove train tracks
The Lake Placid Village Board joined the North Elba Town Board in officially requesting that the state remove the train tracks between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. The vote was taken on September 24, 2012. An article in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise has the full story.
Saranac Lake calls for rail corridor UMP Update
The Saranac Lake Village Board voted on September 24th to ask the State to reopen the Unit Management Plan for the train corridor between Lake Placid and Remsen. An article in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise has the full story.
Albany Times Union calls for track removal
The influential Albany Times Union, in an editorial dated September 17, 2012, entitled 'The little train that shouldn't", called for the conversion of the rail corridor between Old Forge and Lake Placid to a recreation trail. Citing the relative costs and rewards of rail restoration versus trail conversion, the Times Union noted the up to 30x advantage of a rail-trail.
North Elba town board: Remove train tracks
The North Elba town board has officially requested that the state remove the train tracks between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. The vote was taken on September 11, 2012. An article in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise has the full story.
Press Briefing
On August 20th, Robert P. Thomas, a Partner in
the Transportation Planning firm Campbell Thomas and Company, gave a
press briefing on the trails that his firm had helped develop and
their impact on local communities.
His conclusion overwhelmingly supported the economic benefits of
rail conversions.
The video of this presentation is
available here.
Rails to Trails Conservancy report foresees 244,000 visitors and $19.8 million in new local spending each year
On July 11th at the Harrietstown
Hall the Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC) presented the results
of
a major study on building a recreation trail from Lake Placid to
Tupper Lake as the first step in a longer trail connecting Lake
Placid to Old Forge. In late 2011 ARTA hired the RTC to answer many
of the questions left unanswered by previous studies.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
is the country’s expert on rail/trail conversions: with more
than 150,000 members.
RTC’s expert staff has helped hundreds of community-based
organizations and federal, state and local government agencies build
trails. RTC’s National Trails Database includes Information on more
721 rail-trail projects. RTC represents more than 20,000-plus miles
of rail-trail throughout the country.
Questions that RTC addressed include what
the net visitor increase would be if a rail-trail were constructed
that mimicked some of the similar trails in the region and what
would the cost of construction be using similar techniques.
The 2011 Camoin report
failed to adequately answer these questions because Camoin’s
methodology only considered new biking visitors
(all other potential trail users were not counted) and Camoin
assumed visitor traffic would be proportional to trail length, e.g.
a 100-mile trail should attract 4x as many visitors as a 25-mile
trail, But this
assumption is questionable, e.g., the Heritage Trail is only 21
miles long yet attracts 394,000 visitors and the Virginia Creeper
Trail is 2½ times as long but attracts 35% as many.
Also, Camoin did not consider cost savings that could accrue
from use of volunteers, contributed materials, or alternative
designs. RTC's
methodology compares our terrain and visitor opportunities to
similar trails now built and models expected results on a composite
of these.
ARTA
calls for Douglas' removal
Garry Douglas is co-chair of the North Country
Regional Development Commission (NCREDC) and President of the North
Country Chamber of Commerce.
In both roles he is charged with promoting economic
development of our region.
Despite this, he has overtly pressed for restoration of rail
service and suppression of alternatives, using inappropriate means,
despite overwhelming evidence that rail restoration would drain
taxpayers with almost no return.
For example, Mr. Douglas sent flyers later
traced directly to him that claimed support for rail restoration by
the Town of Harrietstown, Village of Saranac Lake, Paul Smith's
College, Wild Center, Adirondack Observatory, and others, all of
whom have denied such support in written responses to ARTA's query.
More recently, Mr. Douglas sent public letters urging train
advocates to come to public NCREDC meetings to drown out anyone with
opposing views. This is
conduct unbecoming to any public official but totally unacceptable
in someone charged with promoting economic development.
IRS Grants ARTA 501c3 Status
The IRS has accepted ARTA's application for 501c3 status
which means that donations to ARTA will be tax deductible by the
contributors.
Supporters are encouraged to go to the Donate tab to learn how to
help with our efforts.
Lake
Placid News Straw Poll
The Lake Placid News online straw poll is over.
More than two out of three respondents want the rails removed
and replaced with a recreation trail.
This is despite North Elba's board proceeding with a
side-by-side path from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake incurring $4.4
million or more in costs and producing serious environmental damage
to wetlands. Perhaps
these results will help them rethink this terrible plan.
$36
million to attract 7,000 visitors a year?
The recently-released
Stone Consulting study
sponsored by the North Country Chamber of Commerce and Adirondack
North Country Association (ANCA) reaches some very interesting
conclusions, none of them good for rail advocates.
First, Stone projects just 7,000 additional visitors to the
Adirondacks each year if rail service is restored from Utica to Lake
Placid. This is at a
one-time cost (presumably to the taxpayer) of $16,533,915 and an
annual operating expense thereafter of $1,933,988.
Over ten years that is $35,873,795. Even if we had $36
million to spend, a key question for those of us who must pay the
bill is can we find better ways to attract more than 7,000 visitors
at lower costs?
Consider the Wild Center, aka Adirondack Museum
of Natural History, in Tupper Lake.
It was built with roughly $8 million of taxpayer aid and
attracts well north of 50,000 visitors every year (nearly 100,000 in
its honeymoon year).
Over a ten-year period this works out to less than a $16 per
visitor annual subsidy.
The cost could be even higher.
The 2011 Camoin study’s detailed engineering estimates
projected $311,764 per mile to restore the tracks between Lake
Placid and Tupper Lake to Class III (average 30 MPH) service.
At this rate the full 91miles from Lake Placid to Old Forge
would cost $28,370,588.
The Camoin number is closer to, but still way under, the NYSDOT 2008
Capital Needs for line restoration estimate of $43 million.
Using this number the subsidy goes to $891 per visitor per
year. There has to be a
better way.
One answer is a recreation trail right on that
same rail corridor. In
just a few more weeks the Rails to Trails Conservancy is going to
deliver its report on what we can expect if we convert that mostly
unused rail bed to a biking, hiking, handicapped-access, ski, and
snowmobile trail. The
results will surely mimic other such conversions, for example the
Down East Sunrise Trail in Maine. This 84-mile long single track
corridor looks a lot like ours.
Their rails and ties were removed so the trail could be
built on the rail-bed, just as is proposed here. Construction cost
was offset by rail and tie salvage recovery, i.e., salvage paid the
entire construction bill.
Summer
Expo in Saratoga Springs
Dick and Rachel Beamish just returned from two
busy days at the Summer Expo in Saratoga Springs, sponsored by
Adirondack Sports & Fitness Magazine. They manned a booth with the
help of Doug LaDuke and together enlisted 982 new supporters
We started collecting signatures at our very
first rally in Lake Placid on August 30, 2011.
In the short time since we have added 8,000 supporters.
These names and adresses are being sent to our elected
officials in batches of 1,000.
When we are ready with the other needed items (RTC study,
town endorsements, etc.) we will take the entire list and a request
to re-visit the Unit Management Plan (UMP) to the NYSDEC and NYSDOT.
The 1995 UMP anticipates a recreation trail in the event the
tourist train does not meet expectations or commitments, which is
clearly the case.
