Richmondville To Apply For 45M Grant For Trail, Other Improvements

RICHMONDVILLE — Local residents seem excited by the possibility of a multi-modal trail to be built along a new sewer line coming in the Town of Richmondville.

About 10-12 residents attended an Oct. 23 public hearing at the town municipal building and engaged in a free-flowing discussion with Engineer Brendon Becker and town board members on applying for a grant that, if received, would fund the trail and other items. At the end of the hearing, the board voted 4-0 to apply for $4.5 million from the New York Forward Downtown Revitalization Program.

Town Supervisor Jeffrey Haslun and Councilmen Eric Haslun, George Horning and Harry Rode all voted in favor. Councilman Todd Sperbeck was unable to attend the hearing. Before the vote, Becker made a presentation, answered questions and heard ideas from residents on how to use the grant if the town receives it.

He said the deadline to submit the grant application is Nov. 7 and guessed the town would find out if it was successful around March, April or May of 2026. If Richmondville gets the grant, a local committee would be set up to further vet projects to be possibly funded with the grant and decide which ones would get money.

One of the projects would be the multi-modal trail to follow the course of a sewer line that's part of a $12-13 million sewer improvement project that would provide public sewer service to a large part of the Town of Richmondville, including Warnerville. Another venture to potentially be funded is a small park near Route 7 and the Warnerville Cutoff that would include a large stone with an attached plaque commemorating the Battle of Cobleskill fought during the American Revolution.

Other potential recipients of grant money would be businesses along the Route 7 corridor where the trail would run, Becker said. He added the businesses would need to match any money received on a 50/50 basis. The money could be used for new equipment or other improvements to the businesses.

Becker said the multi-modal trail would be lighted. He at first said it would be paved with asphalt but other possibilities include concrete or maybe it would be a grass trail. A township highway department employee said concrete would wear better and last longer than asphalt.

The trail would likely run from Route 7 at Podpadic Road to the Village of Cobleskill boundary line just East of the Speedway and the Western edge of the SUNY Cobleskill campus, a length of about three miles, Becker said. The trail would run mostly along Route 7, with possibly some of the trail along one side of the highway and some on the other side, and could also potentially link up with a trail along the Cobleskill Creek just off the Warnerville Cutoff, he added.

"It would serve a lot of people," Jeffrey Haslun said of the trail. "The cross-country team at SUNY Cobleskill, high school kids (at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School) who walk to school. It would serve the community well."

The question of how the trail would be cleared of snow in the winter came up at the Oct. 23 public hearing.

"I'm not sure our highway crew has that in mind," Haslun said.

It was mentioned that a piece of equipment needed to clear the trail in winter would cost around $60,000 or more. Becker said it's possible that cost could be covered with the grant. Or, it's possible the trail would only be used during the warmer months and when there is no snow.

Becker said he would try to see if SEEC (Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corporation) can get involved with the grant application. Both town board members and residents at the Oct. 23 hearing were excited about the potential the trail and sewer improvement project would have for spurring development, expanding the town's tax base and other potential benefits.

"It would make us more community friendly so people would want to be here," one resident said.

"It sounds exciting, our little Hamlet might get on the map," another added.

Becker reiterated that the costs for applying for the grant would be around $5,000.

"I don't think $5,000 is a ridiculous amount of money to try to improve our town," Councilman Rode said.

Jeffrey Haslun said if the Town of Richmondville is not successful on the first round of the grant, it could always try again next year and possibly do a joint application with the Village of Richmondville.

"A very positive response from the community," Councilman Horning said of the Oct. 23 public hearing.

Becker encouraged anyone with comments or ideas regarding the grant to email him at bbecker@lamontengineers.com.