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Full APA Board to Vote Today on Railside Path from Lake Placid to Ray Brook Wednesday, December 18, 2007 By HEATHER SACKETT, Enterprise Staff Writer RAY BROOK — The state Adirondack Park Agency’s Regulatory Programs Committee unanimously approved the plan for phase one of a multi-use recreation path between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. The path would be adjacent to the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which leases the route in a right-of-way owned and maintained by the state Department of Transportation. The first phase of the project covers four-and-a-half miles from near Old Military Road in Lake Placid to near the Scarface Mountain trailhead in Ray Brook. The path will be a mixture of pavement and crushed stone. The project calls for fencing to be installed, for safety purposes, anywhere the path would be 11 feet or less from the tracks, running a total of 6,700 feet. The fence would be three-and-a-half feet tall and removable to accommodate snowmobilers in the winter. The path crosses wetlands in several areas, which would be mitigated by creating three-quarters of an acre of wetlands near Old Military Road in Lake Placid. "We are just so excited," Adirondack North Country Executive Director Terry Martino said. "Everybody has been looking for it. It’s such a great milestone." ANCA, which has led the project since the beginning, organized a meeting in June 2001 to research a bike master plan and determined that using an existing railroad corridor would be the best option. If the plan is approved by the full agency today, Martino said construction could start as early as spring. "As soon as weather permits we will be organizing to start designs and bids," she said. "We see spring of 2008 on the horizon." North Elba is also a sponsor of the project. Town Supervisor Shirley Seney said she was "delighted" to see movement on the project Thursday. APA Regulatory Programs Committee Chairwoman Lani Ulrich said the path would provide a safe place not only for athletes to train, but for all community members to enjoy. She said a similar project near where she lives in Old Forge has made a "tremendous difference." "We are adding a level of safety to get people off our highways," she said. Contact Heather Sackett at 891-2600 ext. 24 or hsackett@adirondackdailyenterprise.com. |
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