Project Chronology

  • 1999 $100,000 awarded to Orange County Land Trust 1999 from Central Hudson Gas and Electric, through the intervention of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, to be used for land acquisition in Central Hudson's service area, particularly along the Quassaick Creek.
  • 1999 $10,000 allocated by Mid-Hudson Land Revitalization Partnership, a regional brownfields initiative, from their EPA Brownfields grant to conduct environmental assessments of the properties included in Phase I of the Quassaick Creek Estuary Preserve and Mill Trail.
  • 2000 March 15 - Meeting held. Attended by Jean McGrane, J.A. McGrane and Associates; Bob McKenna and Julie Clark Brown, City of Newburgh Community Development; Emily Metaxas, Newburgh Neighbors Network; Peter Smith, Architect; Jean Wort and Joe Fowler and John Dodson PE, Orange County Land Trust; Fran Dunwell and Tom Lake, NYS DEC; Betsy McKean, City of Newburgh Engineering Records.
  • 2000 April 17 - Walk along the Quassaick organized for City of Newburgh officials by Julie Clark Brown, Economic Development, with a 20-30 minute presentation on Quassaick flora and fauna by Tom Lake, NYS DEC consultant.
  • 2000 May 5 - Meeting at Key Bank conference room - a brainstorming session organized by Julie Clark Brown, Economic Development, to outline the requirements of a plan for establishing a trail along the Quassaick Creek and identify funding sources. The plan would formalize discussions in prior meetings held by Orange County Land Trust and NYS DEC with the City of Newburgh and several public, private, and community-based organizations. Minutes include:
    Project Vision, Guiding Principles, Scope and Categories of Opportunities; Constraints, Existing Conditions, Future Vision, Connectivity, Extended Opportunities - initiative renamed "Quassaick Creek Estuary Preserve". Attendees represented Or. Co. Land Trust, City of Newburgh, Historical Soc. of Nbg. Bay and the Highlands, Hudson River Valley Greenway, NYS DEC, Mid-Hudson Land Revitalization Partnership, Nbg. Neighbors Network.
  • 2000 June 8 - Meeting at MSMC Desmond Estate. Minutes include Vision Statement draft, Historic and Industrial Site Inventories (from Russell and Allynne Lange, Betsy McKean), Natural Resources Inventory (Fran Dunwell), Zoning summary (Bill Ketcham, Esq.), dams status, existing 1800's sewer easement adjacent to creek, LWRP provisions, and property owners list. Attendees included those from May 5th, as well as National Parks Service Rivers and Trails, SUNY New Paltz GIS, Or. Co. Sportsmen's Federation.
  • 2000 June 20 - Meeting at MSMC Desmond Estate. No information on.
  • 2000 August 23 - Meeting. Untyped minutes include: Contact with NYS OPRHP, Keuka Lake Model Trail, American Felt and Filter contact, Native American presence, City ownership of land through Steel Style to So. Water Street, archaeological study needed, chronological map packet needed, Washington Headquarters resources, Times Herald Record article, fundraising/grant opportunities, community outreach strategy, land/easement acquisition, Hudson River Valley Ramble offering,
  • 2000 September 19 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: drafting letter of outreach to groups who have expressed interest in project and coalition; ownership and site management issues; possible site contamination issues; Greenway grant awarded for access and site assessment; Or. Co. Water Authority GIS mapping.
  • 2000 September 21 - City Council briefing by Architect Peter Smith. The Mayor and City Manager were already familiar with the project, and participated in the discussion to inform the rest of the Council. (Smith had also taken the opportunity at a fundraiser to brief Congressman Hinchey about the project.)
  • 2000 September 23 - 1st Annual Hudson River Valley Ramble "Historic Newburgh City Sampler" offered a 'scramble' along the proposed Quassaick Creek Estuary Preserve and Mill Trail to learn about its natural history, geology, legacy of mills, and waterfront whaling and shipbuilding industries.
  • 2000 October - $ 18,000 awarded by Greenway Conservancy for Hudson River Valley to City of Newburgh/Quassaick Creek Coalition for a "Planning" grant (see Final Report, Appendix 6). $9,000 in funding to match $9,000 in-kind services from City/Coalition. This grant provided for:
    • Identification of key parcels along proposed trail and exploration of acquisition of parcels and/or easements;
    • Title search on City-owned parcels;
    • Community outreach presentations/slide shows;
    • Charrette/community brainstorming event for master plan of project
  • 2000 October 26 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Untyped minutes include: sewer easement research and title report to be ordered, possible Steel Style and AF&F easement documents to be prepared; boundary survey cost proposals for corridor to be solicited; City Council work session packets to be prepared for Peter Smith to follow up with City Council; meetings to be set up with Newburgh school system to prepare model Estuary Preserve Education Program.
  • 2000 November 21 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. No information on.
  • 2000 December 7 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Agenda items include: improving press interaction; update on grant applications; follow up on meetings with AF&F and Steel Style; access needs.
  • 2000 December - $ 14,800 awarded by Hudson River Foundation for stabilization of Twin-Arch Pedestrian Bridge to City of Newburgh/Quassaick Coalition. This grant provided for:
    • Measured drawings of bridge by Architect Peter Smith, and a conditions assessment on videotape;
    • Initial historic research to establish date of bridge;
    • Opening of temporary access road to the bridge on County-owned New Windsor side by John Dodson, P.E., with written authorization from County;
    • Removal of vegetation that is causing deterioration of brickwork.
  • 2001 January 25 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: Meetings set up with Orange County and Town officials (including Or. Co. Parks) by Jean Wort; title search status; NYS OPRHP nomination paperwork submitted for corridor; presentation for Mayor; LWRP language to be included about corridor; Keuka Lake model trail slide show and materials; Critical Environmental Area discussion (later deemed inappropriate designation for project); continuing community outreach with Greenway grant; new zoning impact; Hudson River Foundation grant for stabilizing of Twin-Arch Pedestrian Bridge; spring walks to be organized.
  • 2001 February 21 - Status documents prepared: Outreach, Activities, Opportunities and Challenges. Outreach accomplished to: Boy Scouts, New Windsor adjacent business owners, Club 60, skateboarders, Nbg. Recreation Department, Best Enterprises youth program, Optimist Club, Rotary, Audubon, Sierra Club, adjacent fire company, Scenic Hudson, Heights Association, Newburgh schools, SCORE retired business executives, Washington's Headquarters. Activities include: stream monitoring for 3 years by NW Elementary School through teacher Barbara Oliver (result was reclassification of stream by NYS DEC), MSMC teacher training program involvement, Fostertown School stream monitoring, North Jr. HS proposed environmental studies to include stream monitoring, Museum of Hudson Highlands possible stream sampling. Opportunities summarized as: donated 1822 stone building available to be moved to site, possibility of access to stream outlet for students, sequence of stream monitoring stations for students along Quassaick corridor, connectivity to other groups, website, data sharing mechanism, environmental studies, exhibits, oral history projects, young campers, etc. Challenges include: generating enough traffic for safety, diversity of potential users, maintenance responsibilities, project sustainability, policing of, cooperation of land owners and adjoiners.
  • 2001 March 14 - Meeting at MSMC Desmond Campus. Minutes include: slide show produced and additions to it; contact list maintenance; additional outreach presentations needed; scheduling of community visioning sessions (eventual charrette); Environmental Impact Analysis to be completed by end of August. Draft letter to Orange County Executive Joseph Rampe reviewed, and desired attachments strategized.
  • 2001 April 5 - City Council work session presentation. Handouts included grants chronology, draft resolution of project support and appreciation to mail out to volunteers, maps; large maps were used during the presentation.
  • 2001 April 10 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Untyped minutes include: D.A.M. site for sale on NW shore of Quassaick for $196,000; Earth Day Walk prep discussed; owner of 3 small parcels Kessler to be contacted; Or. Co. permission obtained for work to proceed on twin-arch pedestrian bridge through grant monies; Or. Co. Executive draft letter requesting support reviewed; adjoiner NW parcel 9-1-6.1 owner will be contacted by Jean Wort concerning eventual access easement; community outreach reported on; RFP for Phase I Environmental Investigation of corridor parcels put out by Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress (funded by EPA); American Revolutionary tie-in documented for presence of shad by NW Historian Glenn Marshall.
  • 2001 April 22nd - 1st Annual Earth Day Quassaick Creek Walk. Letters of invitation were sent by Quassaick Coalition to officials in Town of New Windsor, Town of Newburgh, and City of Newburgh, as well as to Orange County officials and legislators. OVER 100 PEOPLE TURNED OUT FOR WALK! Walk leaders were NYS DEC naturalists and local historians. Features included Vale of Avoca, old mill sites, dams, estuary and forest flora and fauna.
  • 2001 May 22 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: walk assessment and strategies for future walks; property/easement acquisition status; outreach presentations done successfully; candle factory site adjoiner contacted; Or. Co. Parks Commissioner to be contacted personally and briefed; status of environmental RFP; status of grants and new grants coming up.
  • 2001 June 17 - $ 11,535 awarded by NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary program, for a "Stewardship" grant. 25% match required: 15% City staff administration, and 10% Coalition members' in-kind services. This grant provided for:
    • Steps toward the creation of a Quassaick Creek Stewardship Advisory Council to assist in the developing of a community-based partnership to support the Quassaick Creek Estuary Preserve and Trail and the formulating of a Stewardship Action Plan;
    • A biodiversity study conducted by Spider Barbour;
    • A database of potential community 'stakeholder' groups, agencies and individuals.
  • 2001 June 17 - $ 18,200 awarded by NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary EPF program to City of Newburgh/Quassaick Coalition for "Anadromous Fish Habitat and Passages" grant. 25% matched: 15% in-kind by City staff and 10% Trout Unlimited and the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers. This grant provided for a companion study of to a simultaneous study of fish species and water quality done by Dr. Robert Schmidt of Hudsonia, Inc. at Bard College. The study by Alden investigated:
    • Anadromous fish in the Quassaick to see if the spawning population is being prevented from reaching spawning habitat by the first two dam/barriers;
    • If so, if a fish passages can be established cost-effectively in such a way as to benefit said fish without causing environmental problems, or if dam/barrier removal is recommended.
  • 2001 June 19 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: awarding of grants to project; report of Hudson River Tributaries Roundtable Meeting; discussion led by NYS DEC Dan Miller on fish ladders; AF&F parcel possibility for parking; possibility of student calendar project for fundraising.
  • 2001 August 14 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: status of grants; bridge restoration study status; land/easement acquisition discussions/contacts; hiring of Chazen for Environmental Phase I assessments.
  • 2001 September - RFP issued for NYS DEC 'Planning' grant charrette.
  • 2001 September 18 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: NFA teacher Joe Chopko class participation; grants status; land/easement acquisition status; possible Quassaick trail-making workshop by NYS DEC Bard College Field Station's Sarah Charlop-Powers; Or. Co. Department of Health and NYS DEC visit to candle factory site to assess it.
  • 2001 September 22 - 2nd Annual Hudson River Valley Ramble "Historic Newburgh City Sampler", a two-part walk through Newburgh's Historic East End led by local historians and preservation advocates.
  • 2001 October 23 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Untyped minutes include: status of grants; responses to possibility of trail-making seminar; draft list of proposed Stewardship Advisory Council members; report on recent Hudson River Tributary Roundtable meeting.
  • 2001 November 27 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Agenda items include: status of grants, charrette proposal review, projects, meetings, studies, contacts, etc.
  • 2002 January 8 - Meeting held. Sign-in list only. New attendees from Mid-Hudson Horse Trails.
  • 2002 January 25 and 26 - Charrette held at Mount Saint Mary College's Hudson Hall. The charrette, coordinated and run by Don Watson of EarthRise, author of the AIA booklet on charrettes, was well attended by a diversity of community individuals and agency representatives (see Appendix 1, attendees list). Two days of small topic groups of brainstorming resulted in a consensus of direction and vision, as well as a conceptual master plan prepared by Landscape Architect Stephen Yarabek of Kingston (see Final Report synopsis, Appendix 2). The watercolors and sketches produced at the charrette by artist/facilitators have been used repeatedly since; they beautifully illustrate the Quassaick brochure, as well as the website constructed by Newburgh web architect Jim Hoekema.
  • 2002 February 12 - Meeting held in Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum on Broadway. Email text minutes include: Audubon interests in Quassaick corridor; draft charrette report reviewed and discussed; outreach strategy for project discussed; Stewardship Management Plan discussed; clean-up of Orange County-owned candle factory site discussed and Jean Wort reported on meeting with Or. Co. Executive Eddie Diana concerning site and overall project; Earth Day Walk prep discussed; CSX contact discussed.
  • 2002 March 21 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: grant status tracking; fish study awarded to Alden Research Laboratories by proposal review panel; walk preparation; 2nd draft charrette report reviewed; website developer sought; NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary signs to be put up by City DPW.
  • 2002 April 18 - Meeting held in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: New York Rivers United's Dan Kwasnowski present to discuss dam removal benefits; Newburgh Rowing Club clean-up of their site; charrette deliverables still being reviewed by grantor HRV Greenway; grants status; report of Stewardship Committee's second meeting at Highpointe/West Street - Barbara Knox, Chairperson; Community Resource study/database to be done by Dorothy Naylor; report from meeting of Or. Co. Executive Eddie Diana, Or. Co. Parks Dir. Graham Skea, Or. Co. Real Property Dir. John McCarey, Or. Co. Land Trust Exec. Dir. John Gebhards, OCLT member Jean Wort, NYS DEC Marc Moran and Fran Dunwell, and Mid-Hudson Revitalization Jean McGrane (Diana "very positive" about site); NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary signs put up in NW through Barbara Oliver's efforts; Orange Environment award given to Quassaick Creek Estuary Preserve Coalition and accepted by Jean Wort on our behalf ('while they realize that we are not there yet, they said the award was for taking on a difficult task, and as an encouragement').
  • 2002 April 21 - 2nd Annual Earth Day Quassaick Creek Walk and Great River Sweep Clean-up of the Quassaick sponsored by Scenic Hudson.
  • 2002 May 8 - 3rd Meeting of Stewardship Committee at Highpointe. No information on.
  • 2002 June 19 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: seven copies of final charrette report received - a synopsis will be worked on for distribution to public and media; reports on grants status; need for petty cash reimbursement; desperate need for PowerPoint presentation and website development; report on OCLT meetings with AF&F; Community Resources database ready; Greenway Trail VIP bicycle/walk tour to visit en route August 4 for guided walk along Quassaick to end on bluff for press conference; project presentation to be made at meeting of Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands along with AF&F owner Bill Pryne's history of his factory site.
  • 2002 June 19 - 4th Meeting of Stewardship Committee, in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: Stewardship grant narrative objectives reviewed; HRV Greenway's Kevin McLoughlin advised efforts be concentrated on establishing a grassroots strong and committed volunteer base, initially not-for-profit, eventually to become a board of trustees; concerns discussed; scope discussed; possible Americorps assistance; definition of tasks needed.
  • 2002 July 17 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: Specific tasks discussed for arrival of HRV Greenway bicyclists; Carmella Mantello, Exec. Director of HRV Greenway, visiting separately to tour Quassaick, Dutch Reformed Church, and waterfront - members of Quassaick Coalition will be among her tour guides; NY Rivers United would like to meet to discuss dam removal study; work begun on brochure.
  • 2002 July 17 - 5th Meeting of Stewardship Committee, in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: mail-able brochure in development to have basic information such as website address, email address for inquiries, Newburgh Post Office box for correspondence, and a City phone number and voicemail, with a tear-off section to send in with donation or volunteering of time.; funding administration discussed - OCLT offered to be parent organization for collection and dissemination of funds until Coalition group ready to take over.
  • 2002 August 4 - Hudson River Valley Greenway VIP Bicycle/Walk Tour. Participants met by volunteers from Coalition and led along Quassaick, then up 'truant path' to South Jr. HS, then to bluff for press conference with City officials.
  • 2002 August 7 - Meeting of Stewardship Committee. Brochure finalized.
  • 2002 September 4 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: status report on grants; HRV Greenway bicyclists' visit a success - although little publicity resulted; brochure finished by Stewardship Committee and as soon as it has final review by this group it will be ready for Commercial Offset in NW - 5,000 copies - paid for by OCLT and City; Post Office box obtained; Jim Hoekema to set up website; phone number established; biodiversity study in progress; status report of land/easement acquisition efforts.
  • 2002 October 9 - Meeting. Email summary includes: final review of brochure draft; discussion of Walsh's Road v Walsh Avenue; brochure distribution discussed; status report on brownfields Phase I investigations; parcel owner Kessler contacted but uninterested.
  • 2002 November 13 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Minutes include: status report on grants; some progress in parcel acquisition steps with AF&F; discussions with Or. Co. on candle factory site clean-up.
  • 2003 January - $69,975 awarded by NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary program for land acquisition for the Quassaick Creek Estuary Preserve and Trail. Not used; attempts to negotiate with Phase I owners for easements and/or parcels unsuccessful.
  • 2003 January 8 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: 5,200 brochures printed and ready for distribution; distribution locations listed; website designed by Jim Hoekema and is gorgeous - Ronnie Brown to learn maintaining of; NOAA dam removal grant possible; NYS DEC acquisition grant awarded to augment Or. Co. Land Trust mitigation funding.
  • 2003 February 12 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: City Council passed resolution on January 27, 2003, officially endorsing project in public interest; brochure added to website; Spider Barbour awarded biodiversity project by proposal review panel; consultant Jill Fisher to write mill museum proposal for AF&F after tour of factory site; insufficient number of volunteers available for scheduling Earth Day 2003 walk.
  • 2003 March - $10,000 awarded by Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley for Phase II of Twin-Arch Pedestrian Bridge repair, stabilization, and restoration. John Dodson, P.E., repaired mortar and stone work and installed steel beam along deck of bridge to strengthen it.
  • 2003 March 12 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include:
  • 2003 April 9 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: report on Greenway Conservancy of the Hudson River Valley meeting held in Goshen for mid-Hudson towns interested in developing walking, biking and water trails; Ronnie Brown walked group through Quassaick web pages to solicit feedback.
  • 2003 May 14 - Meeting in City Hall Conference Room. Email text minutes include: need for volunteer track grants status to report monthly to group (Ronnie Brown now maintaining web pages); planning begins on National Estuaries Day walk; NYS DEC watershed coalition meeting 5/20 at Kowawese to be attended by Mary McTamaney.
  • 2003 June 11 - Meeting in offices of Economic Development, Corwin Court. No information on.
  • 2003 August 13 - Meeting. Minutes include: status of twin-arch bridge stabilization work; Mid-Hudson Land Revitalization Partnership met with EPA concerning candle factory site clean-up; Spider Barbour has enlisted the collaboration of the regional Audubon Society and Professor Pat DeLuca MSMC to assess habitat and species in the Quassaick corridor - preliminary report due this week.
  • 2003 September 10 - Meeting in Heritage Center, 123 Grand Street. Minutes include: last minute preparation for National Estuaries Day event; report received on fish habitat and fish ladder needs from Alden Research Labs; Bob Ewald met with Or. Co. Risk Management and Or. Co. Executive Eddie Diana concerning candle factory dam to ownership unclear - deeds to be pulled and scrutinized; John Dodson PE finished Greenway grant stabilization of twin-arch pedestrian bridge - steel beam laid across arches along top - urgent recommendation to find funds to finish bridge repair/restoration; STP CHG&E mitigation monies unapplied for by any group to administer as yet; website annual renewal of domain name and server/host registration will be funded by Or. Co. Land Trust.
  • 2003 September 27 - National Estuaries Day "Biodiversity Bonanza" Walk sponsored by City of Newburgh/Quassaick Coalition. Mount Saint Mary College Tri-Beta students helped clear brush and label flora and fauna on nine trail sections with consultant Spider Barbour. Water provided by Leisure Time Ice and Spring Water.
  • 2003 October 8 - Meeting in Heritage Center, 123 Grand Street. No information on.
  • 2003 October 17 - Mount Saint Mary College Honors 201 students hike Quassaick as part of Saturday seminar; Professor Toni Saldivar wrote letter of appreciation and thanks "for giving students a clearer perception of Newburgh's industrial beginnings and an appreciation for our area's often hidden natural beauties."
  • 2004 December 20 - Meeting in City Hall. Attendees from: Scenic Hudson, City of Newburgh, Or. Co. Planning, Or. Co. Land Trust, NYS DEC, Or. Co. Parks, Town of Newburgh. Minutes include: AF&F parcel acquisition issue of Phase II; Kessler 'Letter of Market Value' being drafted for 3 small parcels acquired through in-rem years ago; Or. Co. candle factory Phase II RFP proposals given to John McCarey and sources of funding for Phase II; meeting to be set up with NW Supervisor Meyers by City Manager; meeting with NW Supervisor Meyers and local legislators to be set up by David Church; trail walk of section between 9W and Lake Street to be scheduled; meeting with City Police Chief to be set up; parcels along tie-in route to Scenic Hudson's Snake Hill preserve to be identified and owners listed; twin-arch pedestrian bridge final restoration funding needed; NYS DEC discussion with attendees about anadromous fish and barriers/dams. Discussion with Corporation Counsel of amending of either interceptor sewer maintenance easement or old trunk sewer easement to allow walkers has to be mutual between current easement parties (City and Steel Style/CSX/Kessler).
  • 2007 April 11 - Meeting in City Manager's Office, City Hall. Attendees include Or. Co. Planner, City Planner, Corporation Counsel, Or. Co. Land Trust, City Economic Development, City Manager. Minutes include: connectivity to Scenic Hudson's Snake Hill preserve; connectivity with LWRP/waterfront development plans; discussion of Steel Style parcel; next steps for Phase II candle factory site investigation; meeting to be set up with Supervisor George Green by City Manager; next project need is boundary survey of corridor for legal writing of easements and as basemapping for trail construction; another resolution of public purpose to be put on agenda for current City Council to pass; status of funding discussed.
  • 2007 June 7 - PowerPoint presentation to City Council on project status. Presentation in support of resolution of public purpose included draft of a new brochure based on the Delaware Canal brochure from New Hope PA, created by GIS Analyst Jamie Lo.
  • 2007 July 10 - Meeting in City Manager's Office, City Hall. Attendees include those from prior meeting, and NW Town Board member Patricia Mullarkey. Minutes include: meeting to be set up with NYS DEC Brownfields Remediation program staff and Or. Co. Exec. Eddie Diana by David Church; presentation to be prepared for Diana and Town of New Windsor Board; presentation to include SUNY Syracuse ESF program 'capstone' project done by student Marcy Denker - possible layout of candle factory site as passive park; second resolution of public purpose passed by City Council; ongoing work on possible easements/acquisitions from Steel Style and/or AF&F; discussion of parcels between 9W and Scenic Hudson's Snake Hill preserve - potential for easements from owners; Family Health Center site plan (adjoining Quassaick) is under review by Planning Board - opportune time to negotiate an easement or parcel acquisition; summary of school projects done in past few years on Quassaick; list of former Coalition participating individuals/organizations/agencies; OCLT to submit application to Kodak Greenway for boundary survey funding of corridor (application submitted by City twice before); OCLT to hire New York/New Jersey Trail Conference consultant to obtain cost estimate of trail construction River Road to 9W so that budget can be drafted.
  • 2007 August 9 - Vision and Management Plan Summit Meeting, Or. Co. Planning Conference Room, Goshen. Attendees included: Or. Co. legislator, Or. Co. Parks, Or. Co. Planning, City of Newburgh Corporation Counsel and Project Liaison and Police Department, Or. Co. Land Trust, SUNY Syracuse ESF graduate student. Minutes include: Overall Project Vision discussion; Model Projects; Concerns (NIMBY, policing, funding, ownership, management, etc.).
    • Agreement on ongoing steps: monthly meetings, looking at connectivity parcels, establishing boundaries of corridor parcels, completion of Phase II environmental investigation of candle factory parcels (Or. Co. and Newburgh's), setting aside of Newburgh's Snake Hill parcel as a preserve.
    • Agreement on next steps: consensus on Project Overall Vision, presentations to legislative committees, presentation to County Executive, presentation to NW Town Board, memorandums of understanding drafted for access and protocol, outreach to and enthusiasm building in adjoining communities, creation of a 'friends' group for stewardship (based on Heritage Trail model).
  • 2007 September 18 - Meeting in Mayor's Office, City Hall. Minutes include: foot trail construction cost estimate received from OCLT (by Eddie Walsh, NYNJTC); City's Master Plan being written and LWRP to be revised - both will be reviewed by Quassaick team member and comments will be forwarded to BFJ Planning (LWRP) and City Economic Development/Planning Department (Master Plan and LWRP); Or. Co. Planning preparing application for Phase II environmental investigation funding through NYS DEC using environmental consultant retained by county DPW; City to apply for Newburgh candle parcel when draft of Or. Co. application made available to City; Lt. William Rose of City Police Department reported on corridor walk and policing concerns; OCLT to underwrite boundary survey of 'Newburgh candle factory parcel and its relationship to adjoiner parcels and the physical location of the RR tracks' - agreement to be between City and surveyor Steve Drabick, L.S.; offer of interpretive kiosk from OCLT - Mohonk style - OCLT and City to have meeting with AF&F to explore installation outside AF&F gates; Family Health Center site plan reviewed by Or. Co. Planning with recommendation for easement - meeting with FHC and City resulted in list of concerns.
  • 2007 October 16 - Meeting in Mayor's Office, City Hall. Minutes include: discussion of ownership and management issues; breaching of dam on candle factory parcels forces attention/action - NYS DEC Dan Miller outlines possible courses of action and areas of concern.
  • 2007 November 20 - Meeting in City Hall Law Library. Minutes include: meeting had with Independent Living's Doug Hovey and Kara Dorsey - interested in attending future meetings and participating in design phases; issues of candle factory parcel ownership discussed - including taxes, management, policing, etc.; Or. Co. Planning to submit NOAA dam removal grant for breached dam to City to provide letter of support as half-owner.