Delaware greenway legislation to go before state committees

By TOM KANE

ALBANY, NY — The proposal to create a greenway along the Upper Delaware River Valley has taken a giant leap forward.

On May 2, state Senator John Bonacic and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther finished framing the legislation to create the greenway and announced that they will cosponsor it as it goes before committees.

The introductory paragraph of the senate version sets down the purpose: “This legislation is intended to allow communities along the Upper Delaware River to voluntarily join in collaborative effort to utilize the scenic beauty and natural and cultural resources surrounding the river for the betterment of the communities along the Delaware River within the State of New York. It is the intention of the legislature that the state support the efforts of the communities and provide such assistance as those communities may request to meet the purpose of this article.”

The Upper Delaware River Greenway Council

The legislation would create an Upper Delaware River Greenway Council, which would come into being upon the passage of a resolution by an eligible municipality. Those would include the Town of Deerpark and the City of Port Jervis in Orange County, the towns of Lumberland, Highland, Tusten, Cochecton, Delaware and Fremont in Sullivan County; and the Village of Hancock in Delaware County. One council member would represent each municipality.

What next?

“The next move for the legislation is that it will be presented to the Environmental Conservation Committee of both houses in a week or two,” said Langdon Chapman, chief of Bonacic’s staff. After that it goes to the Rules Committee in the senate.

“In the assembly, after going to the Environmental Conservation Committee, the bill will go to Ways and Means,” said Steve Wilkinson, assistant to Gunther.

The way it works is that it’s passed one year and then goes for financing and implementation the next year if all goes as planned, Chapman said.

Bonacic appeared before a meeting of town officials and residents held at the Upper Delaware Council building in April 2004 to explain the purpose of the greenway and to answer any questions. Subsequent to that meeting, seven of the river municipalities expressed support to the idea and encouraged Bonacic and Gunther to proceed with the legislation. Only two river towns opposed the project—Town of Fremont and Town of Hancock.

“It’s entirely voluntary,” Bonacic said, “If you should join and you don’t like what the greenway was doing, you could simply opt out at any time.”

He explained that the Upper Delaware River Greenway would be similar to the Hudson River Greenway, which has been in existence since 1991.

Over the past 12 years, the Hudson River greenway project has distributed some $8,375,000 to various programs in member communities, greenway executive director Carmella Mantello said. The greenway is a way river towns could receive funding to carry out projects they choose to accomplish. It would work in a similar way in the Upper Delaware River Valley Greenway.

Legislation has a good chance

“I think the Upper Delaware River Valley Greenway has an excellent chance to pass the legislature,” Mantello said. “Greenways are growing around the country as a way, not only to promote recreation, but to give a boost to economic development. It’s a bottom-up approach to planning which means the state’s role is supportive and not directive. The governor will be proposing a link between the Niagara River Valley Greenway, the Erie Canal Greenway and the Hudson River Greenway, so you can see how important to the state greenways are.”

“I think the idea is an excellent one,” said Town of Delaware Supervisor Bill Moran. “The most important thing is that it will help us get grants that we would not normally have access to. It will be a big help in assisting the town to develop recreational projects that will attract tourists to our area.”

A dissenting voice

One greenway opponent has been Fremont’s civic watchdog Noel van Swol.

“The Upper Delaware River Valley Greenway is totally misguided and a tragic intrusion of state government into local affairs,” van Swol said. “At a time when the valley is losing its only two public schools that it has in the 75-mile stretch between Hancock and Port Jervis, we do not need any additional impediments to local growth and development like the greenway.”