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Potential bridge project may hold hope for ‘spur’

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By DIANE VALDEN

COPAKE—The key to unlocking a possible connecting pathway or a “spur” from the Harlem Valley Rail Trail to the Copake hamlet seems to hinge on a future State Department of Transportation (DOT) bridge repair or replacement project.

At the Town Board’s November 14 meeting, Copake Supervisor Richard Wolf announced that the engineering report recently prepared by the Barton and Loguidice firm is complete. The study was paid for by an anonymous donor’s $25,000 gift for the express purpose of hiring an engineer to evaluate options for crossing State Route 22 to make a rail trail-hamlet connection happen. The spur is strictly a town initiative and not a project the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is undertaking.

The engineers found that the only viable option now for the connection is via a surface crossing on State Route 22 in the vicinity of the northern County Route 7A entrance to the hamlet and Weed Mine Road.

But Supervisor Wolf ruled out the idea noting that even with stop lights, signals and signs installed it would pose too great a danger to anyone, especially families, attempting to cross the road with big trucks and other vehicles bearing down on them.

Two other possibilities mentioned and ruled out were to use an old cow tunnel under the road, which proved to be too small; or to create a pathway under the bridge that carries Route 22 over the Bash Bish Brook on the south side of the brook, which would be subject to flooding.

But the engineers made Supervisor Wolf aware that the state DOT is investigating a project to either replace or repair the bridge in question—just north of Weed Mine Road. Mr. Wolf said engineers will communicate with DOT about possibly incorporating the construction of a passageway under the bridge far away from the water to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. If that were possible, Mr. Wolf said the town would work with the landowners to make it happen. But there is currently no timetable for a bridge project of any kind. “We’re hopeful, but we just don’t know,” Mr. Wolf said in a follow-up phone conversation this week.

In other news at the meeting, it was learned from Town Attorney Jonathon Tingley that all easement rights to the Main Street parking lot, located between the Copake General Store and the Copake Wine Works, have been secured and the bid for its construction was awarded.

The Copake Town Board adopted a resolution to accept the bid and award the contract for the Main Street parking lot project to DelSignore Blacktop Paving Inc. of Troy, as the lowest responsible bidder. The bid for the work is $374,173.87, which will be paid for with American Rescue Plan Act—State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds in the amount of $264,769.57 and unallocated balance funds in the amount of $109,404.30.

The parking lot construction is expected to start in the spring of 2025.

Using the process of eminent domain the town acquired the final .145 acre piece of the parking lot from Copake General Store owner Surinder Cheema, who unlike the owners of the other three parcels did not agree to provide a permanent easement. When reached for comment, Mr. Cheema said the matter had been worked out by his attorney. Mr. Wolf said the town was required under the process to have Mr. Cheema’s property appraised. The value is about $36,000, which the town must pay Mr. Cheema at some point, the supervisor said.

The town wanted to get the parking lot constructed prior to the start of the County Route 7A Reconstruction and Preservation Project which involves the reconstruction of 1.75 miles of County Route 7A through the hamlet starting at Center Hill Road and continuing east out in a Y-shaped formation to the north and south entrances to the hamlet on Route 22. The project will significantly reduce hamlet parking. Now, that long-awaited project has been put off until the spring of 2026 due to some snags with the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in connection with moving the Copake Memorial Clock which is on the Register of Historic Places, said Supervisor Wolf.

In another piece of business, the town agreed to hire Lisa Nagle, a planning consultant from Saratoga Springs, for $14,000 to help work on zoning issues regarding the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone (SCOZ), flexible lot subdivisions and the Affordable Housing Law. Edgar Masters, a Planning Board member, brought the request to the Town Board saying, members believe it is time to look at all these aspects together and update the law, which is 20 to 25 years old. Ms. Nagle has worked on the SCOZ law previously.

The Town Board meets next December 12, 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com.

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