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September 7, 2010

EDITORIAL: Saranac River Trail worth the wait

Press-Republican

Work is beginning on one of the biggest bargains the City of Plattsburgh has ever had — the Saranac River Trail.

The cost of the project is expected to be around $1.7 million, with the city contributing only about $100,000. The rest comes from state and federal grants.

That's one of those situations in which fiscal conservatives will say it's all still tax money, and they're right. But, as a practical matter, lots more people are sharing the cost, and if the money didn't flow into this project, it would surely flow into someone else's.

The trail has been in the discussion stage for more than 30 years. It had its origin as the so-called Verdantique Park proposal that called for a bike path along the Saranac River behind the Plattsburgh State campus and running eastward. A lot of research and planning had gone into the Verdantique idea, and planning for the trail as it begins to be constructed now took that work into account.

Plattsburgh State has been a key player in the formation of the final concept, as the trail will verge so closely on the campus. Security for the students and for college property is a concern, of course, and precautions are being taken, including lighting and the blue-light system that dots the campus to be a means for endangered students to call University Police for help.

Many public-spirited citizens have long envisioned a biking/hiking trail winding through Plattsburgh so motor vehicles wouldn't be the only means of transportation available. Wherever bicycles and cars co-exist, though, there is always the danger of bicyclists being imperiled, and this trail will be a long step toward eliminating that threat.

Bicycles, walkers, joggers, rollerboarders and skateboarders will be welcome on the trail. In the winter, it's possible that cross-country skiers may also be accommodated.

Trail markers will point out areas of significance to passers-by. Guard rails will be installed to separate the trail from vehicle traffic.

With all the funding in place, some uncertainty earlier this year about a timetable for construction has been cleared up, to the great advantage of the trail enthusiasts. It now looks as if the first phase of the trail will be ready by the end of the year.

Very often, great ideas graduate into promising plans, only to be shelved for future consideration and enactment that never comes. This is a project that was born in imaginations in the 1970s. The possessors of those imaginations would be gratified to see that tarmac will actually be laid to consummate their great ideas.

Plattsburgh has long dreamed of having safe places to walk and ride bicycles that would not inconvenience traffic. The trail should add appreciably to the health and fitness of city residents.

It's been a long time coming, but it will be worth the wait. And at a very small cost to those who live here.

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Editorial
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