Renews support for Cold Spring 'pause'

The Philipstown Town Board on Wednesday (Feb. 26), by a 4-1 vote, approved more than 100 comments on a draft environmental impact statement for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail and a letter renewing a request to pause construction of a boardwalk between Dockside and Little Stony Point parks.

In addition to an 18-page document containing its comments about the state's Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS), the Town Board approved, by the same 4-1 vote, comments crafted by the Conservation Board in response to HHFT's proposal.

Board Member Judy Farrell, who said she does not support delaying or pausing the Dockside-to-Little-Stony Point segment, cast the lone "no" votes. Completion of the southern end would boost accessibility to the riverfront and there are "a lot of people in the community who have been waiting a long time" for the trail, she said.

"Of course there are going to be problems with this project, but I think we can work them out as it progresses," Farrell said.

The HHFT plan comprises a 7.5-mile trail between Cold Spring and Beacon, with a segment containing a boardwalk elevated over the river between Dockside and Little Stony Point. It also includes a bridge over the Metro-North tracks north of the Breakneck tunnel, new platforms at the Breakneck train station, expanded parking and the redevelopment of Dutchess Manor into a visitor's center.

State parks, which is the lead agency for the project, released the 700-page draft in December and set a deadline of Tuesday (March 4) for public comments.

A consultant with Tim Miller Associates, which reviewed the DGEIS for Philipstown, on Feb. 19 shared some of its concerns, which largely mirror those expressed by elected officials in Cold Spring and Nelsonville. (Update: The full document was released by the town on Monday, March 3.)

Primarily, the DGEIS is "lacking in details," said Steven Marino, a senior environmental planner with the firm. For example, he said the document does not sufficiently address increased traffic as the Fjord Trail draws more visitors or the dispersal of sediment when more than 400 concrete pilings are installed in the Hudson River for the section between Dockside and Little Stony Point.

Marino also said that HHFT's conclusions about the boardwalk's impact on riverviews along Fair Street and Route 9D between Breakneck and Cold Spring "don't seem to tell the whole story" and need more analysis. He said there are questions about whether the width of the walkway will accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and other users traveling in both directions at the same time.

"It is our feeling that, in some ways, the presented DGEIS is too lacking in details or so interested in moving the project forward that some aspects of the plan, especially the potential impacts on community character, congestion and quality-of-life issues are overlooked or downplayed," he said on Feb. 19.

On Feb. 26, Van Tassel read a letter the Town Board approved sending with the comments. It reiterates the town's stance that the southern segment should end at Little Stony Point. The town also requested that HHFT pay for emergency services along the trail and calls for a two-year "purpose pause" after the phases north of Breakneck are completed to assess their effect on reducing congestion and traffic.

"If the train station and Breakneck work, if Dutchess Manor works, we come back to the table and say, 'Let's see how we can bring the trail to Dockside in a reduced version, in a full version,'" he said.