GOSHEN—On Feb. 4, Orange County legislators unanimously passed a resolution to finance a section of the Heritage Trail that would extend it from Middletown to Howells.
The resolution amended a former bond resolution by $317,074, which would increase the amount the county is paying to $524,674.
The entire project is estimated to cost about $12 million, but the federal government has pledged to finance 80 percent of it, and last December the Orange County Industrial Development Agency gave $1 million and New York State another $500,000 to the project.
The Heritage Trail goes along the old Erie Railroad track and currently runs 11.5 miles from Monroe to Goshen. The addition from Goshen to Howells would extend it another 10 miles, running through Goshen, Middletown, Wallkill, and Wawayanda.
According to Parks and Rec. Commissioner, Richard Rose, the Heritage Trail is the second most widely-used park in Orange County with 150,000 visitors annually.
