Trail to Train firms narrowed to four

AMENIA — Following a meeting of the town of Amenia’s Trail to the Train Committee, a narrowed list of four project candidates will be submitted to the Town Board for follow-up interviews before a decision is reached.

The project, which will extend the Harlem Valley Rail Trail a little more than half a mile from the Metro-North Wassaic train station into the hamlet of Wassaic, was the recipient of a $480,000 grant last year from the state (with a $120,000 match from the town), which essentially jump-started the feasibility of making the idea a reality.

But while the state grant is a huge aid for the town, it’s also created a complicated process in which the town must follow strict guidelines and procedures to remain eligible for the money. That includes sending out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which collected 13 possible landscape/architectural firms interested in being selecting for work on the extension.

The committee had previously worked to narrow that list from 13 to six, and then finally by the end of a meeting on Oct. 22 to four. The four firms are WSP Sells, Clough Harbour and Associates LLP, Weston & Sampson and Mark K. Morrison Landscape Architecture.

The state’s Department of Transportation, which awarded the grant, requires a checklist with specific criteria to be filled out by the town explaining its decisions. It’s a qualifications-based process, meaning that the cost of the project won’t be discussed until the final applicant is chosen.

“A lot of the applicants had loads of experience,� explained Councilwoman Darlene Riemer at the meeting, “but some of them didn’t have projects that reflected the site-specific elements we’re looking for.�

“It’s a showcase part of the trail,� added Committee Chair Tonia Shoumatoff. “We wanted to have something a little special.�

Some good news was announced by Town Grantwriter Michael Hagerty at the Oct. 21 Town Board meeting: The Hudson River Valley Greenway has awarded the project an additional $10,000 in grant money. Hagerty is hopeful that those funds will help to cover the design phase of the project, which is currently estimated at $52,000.

The next step would be for the Town Board to sit down with the four short-listed firms for a more detailed interview before making a final decision. That will take some time, especially since the town is in the middle of moving Town Hall, but budgetary concerns were also highlighted that could create difficulties down the road.

While the town has received grants, those funds would be reimbursable to the town, meaning the Town Board will have to budget the money it needs up front (even though it will eventually be reimbursed) into its budget. That’s not easy to do when the draft budget is currently looking at a tax increase of 13 percent.

“We have to spread costs over, just like we do when purchasing highway equipment,� town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard insisted. “With the budget restraints, we can’t just do everything right away.�

Euvrard agreed with Riemer, who suggested that the board would probably have to take out a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN).

“It’s the most realistic way to go,� she said. “But it still has to be discussed.�

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