MIDDLETOWN—There is tentative optimism among those who have been waiting and yearning to see the extension of the heritage trail from Goshen to Wallkill realized.
Middletown Mayor, Joseph DeStefano; O.C. Parks and Rec Commissioner, Rich Rose; O.C. Executive, Steve Neuhaus; and at least a handful of legislators are all behind it.
But the extension of the historic railroad trail is far from assured.
The Orange County Legislature’s Physical Services Committee is discussing the trail extension’s environmental impact later this month, and if it passes the committee, it will be voted on in the legislature sometime in September.
The bigger hurdle will be the funding, and getting the cash-strapped county to approve a multi-million dollar project whose estimated cost may have risen.
Jeff Berkmen, an Orange County legislator representing Middletown, said the proposed figure has jumped from $10 million to $12 million when he spoke with the legislative council on Tuesday, and he doesn’t know why.
County Executive spokesman Justin Rodriguez said the cost is still projected at $10 million but could rise after the environmental review is finished and they open the project up to bidding.
“Overall on construction, we are starting to see a pricing increase as the economy recovers and construction increases, but we won’t know the final cost of course until SEQRA [State Environmental Quality Review Act] is done and bids are let,” Rodriguez wrote in an email.
