by Bea Peterson
“This is a monumental day!” said Hoosick Falls Mayor Laura Reynolds as she signed the purchase agreement for the Village Greenway. Twenty-six acres of land, old railroad beds running along the Hoosic River roughly from the Village Wastewater Plant to the Village Water Plant, were purchased from the Boston & Maine Corporation on Thursday, January 15. The purchase has been a long time coming.
In spring 2007 a Greenway meeting was held with trails authority Craig Della Penna. He guaranteed that within 10 years a greenway could resurrect a community. This was inspirational to many at the meeting as they were at the beginning stages of purchasing the old railroad property. The goal was not to ask the community for support through taxes. The $20,000 purchase price was raised through private donations and the Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA).
Since then more than $200,000 in grants have been received by the Village for the project. Some of the funds were used for the time consuming and complicated survey of the land. Another delay was resolving issues with neighbors who had inadvertently encroached on the land. The closing had been postponed several times, and this frustrated many people who have worked on the project for two long years.
HooRWA will hold a meeting later this month to plan the first stage of the Greenway development. Former Village Board Member Margaret Casey, who was helpful in the beginning planning and grant phase, is ecstatic that the project is finally underway. Village Trustee Ric DiDonato is excited he will be involved with the project.
Undoubtedly volunteers will be needed in the spring for cleanup of the trail and other work to make the Greenway a Village asset.