October 3, 2023
Dear Mayor Smythe,
Village of Rhinebeck Trustee Ric Lewit and I are requesting that the Village of Red Hook board pass a resolution of support for a NYS Greenway Conservancy Grant to rehabilitate and improve the Rhinebeck/Red Hook Historic District Bike/Hike Trails (RBRHT). We’ll need the resolution prior to the November 3 submission date.
The Village of Rhinebeck will administer the grant on behalf of the towns of Red Hook and Rhinebeck. As proposed, all three municipalities will be contributing matching funds (We’ve already reached out to Supervisor McKeon).
Background
The RBRHT winds through Red Hook and Rhinebeck from Rokeby to Wilderstein and touches the Rhinebeck Village center. The trail was conceived more than 20 years ago with funding from the Winnakee Land Trust and cooperation from the towns of Red Hook and Rhinebeck. (A PDF of the original route is attached.)
Since that initial effort, some of the existing signage has decayed or disappeared, and, importantly, the RBRHT now intersects with the newly constructed and increasingly popular Empire State Trail.
Purpose
Key elements of the proposal are to improve the RBRHT by replacing damaged or missing signage and linking Rhinebeck and Red Hook villages to the Empire State Trail. Currently, someone traveling on the Empire State Trail likely would not know where they are in relation to the nearby village centers or how to get to them. Furthermore, two permanent maps, one at the intersection of Rt.199 and River Road and the other in the center of Rhinebeck will show visitors the complete trail system. (A smaller version of the map also could be posted on the existing information kiosk in the Village of Red Hook at its expense, as we’d discussed).
We believe that the benefits of winning this grant align with Hudson River Valley Greenway’s stated goals and are clear:
Natural and Cultural Resource Protection –The RBRHT passes by many significant historic structures, conserved farmland, and other assets, including among others: Wilderstein, Poets’ Walk Park, and provides direct access to the Hudson River at Rhinecliff.
Regional Planning – The project is an important way for the towns and villages of Rhinebeck and Red Hook to advance their shared goals for natural and cultural resource protection, economic development, public access, and heritage education across municipal boundaries.
Economic Development – New signs will direct trail users to the Rhinebeck and Red Hook village centers from the Empire State Trail, enhancing economic development by bringing in new visitors.
Public Access – The trail route promotes increased public access to the Hudson River by routing users to the Hudson River at the Rhinecliff town park and dock and also provides direct access to the Rhinecliff Amtrak Station.
Heritage and Environmental Education – The project will promote awareness among the residents and visitors about the Hudson Valley’s natural, cultural, scenic, and historic resources.
Project Details
Ric and I determined that 31 existing signs need replacement due to weathering or damage. An additional 40+/- are needed to fill in lost or missing signs.
We propose purchasing 75 sign clusters, which will complete the trail and provide a few extra signs for future replacements. Some of the new signs will be arrows directing RBRHT users to the Rhinebeck and Red Hook village centers. Other signs will direct Empire State Trail users to and from the village centers.
After research into sign making and our local municipal labor rates, we believe the cost to purchase the signs can be offset with labor provided by the highway departments of Rhinebeck Village and the towns of Rhinebeck and Red Hook.
The permanent maps on stanchions require cash contributions from the three municipalities, and we hope, but don’t yet know, if the they will commit to that.
Design and purchase of the signs would be accomplished this winter. Inspections and installation would follow in spring 2024, with each municipality responsible for erecting signage within its borders. After the signs and maps have been installed, the Village of Rhinebeck, Town of Rhinebeck, and Town of Red Hook highway departments will inspect them at least annually to ensure that they are maintained in good condition.
Ric and I are available to answer any questions that you may have. Please contact us at:
richardlewit@mac.com / 917.273.2572 or
rosenbergsteve2012@gmail.com / 914.489.7925