Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will anyone really use this greenway?
2. How are many different types of users going to be able to exist on the same trail?
3. What about crime and vandalism?
4. How is this greenway going to be maintained?
5. How much will this Greenway cost and who is going to pay?
6. We need roads and bridges. Why are federal transportation dollars being used for a trail?
11. Wasn't this going to be only an eight-foot wide trail? Why is the State buying so much land?
12. Why hasn't DEC conducted a boundary survey of the property they are buying?
14. Is the State getting this land as part of the settlement of a citation placed on RG&E by DEC?
15. Is there a chance that this land sale will not take place?
18. Is it possible to detour the trail to the shoulder of public roads?
20. Who will be responsible for law enforcement on the Greenway in Wyoming and Allegany counties?
21. When will the Greenway be developed in Allegany County?
1. Will anyone really use this greenway?
Yes. The users will be people who live close by who want to go out for a short walk, bike or jog as well as those from farther away who are attracted by the opportunity for a long-distance hike or bicycle ride through the region.
In response to a February 1997 article about the Genesee Valley Greenway that appeared in the Conservationist magazine, calls and letters have been received from 80 different towns and cities across New York State as well as from Florida, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
According to Newsweek, June 9, 1997, the two outdoor pastimes that will grow the fastest between now and the year 2050 are bird watching and walking, two activities that can easily be pursued on the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail. The only pastime projected to grow faster than the increase in population is bird watching (projected to grow by 58.5% compared to an estimated population increase of 53.9%). Walking is estimated to grow by 52.2%, compared to golf a tennis that are projected to increase by only 29.7 and 27.2 %, respectively.
The Genesee Valley Greenway can provide a number of benefits for residents:
* a means of transportation between and among communities --- trips to schools, parks, shops, or a friend' s house can be done without mixing with road traffic
* the opportunity to pursue a variety of recreational activities close to home
* a convenient place for people of all ages and fitness levels to get some healthy exercise without a large monetary investment or a long car trip to a fitness center
* a chance to experience and enjoy a variety of plants and animals and natural environments
Already the Livingston County 4-H and Crestwood Children's Center have used the Greenway Trail for their fund raising walkathons. The Nunda Fun Run and the Mt. Morris Founders Day 5K run have also used the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail. The local outdoor adventure company, Pack, Paddle, Ski Corporation, has offered biking and hiking outings on the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail. The Livingston County Healthy Heart Program helped promote use of the Greenway as place to get some beneficial exercise.
2. How are many different types of users going to be able to exist on the same trail?
Contrary to popular belief, conflict is not caused by crowding or mixing of user groups. Although these conditions can increase the potential for conflict, they are not the reason for the conflict. Trail conflict occurs when a trail user feels they haven't gotten the trail experience they wanted and they blame it on someone else. Conflict can result from trail users creating unsafe conditions for others, from prejudices and stereotypes about different types of trail users, and from differences among trail users such as different levels of technology (snowmobiles and cross country skiers) or different attitudes toward the environment, standards of behavior, or levels of tolerance for others.
The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recommends that a multi-use trail be cleared to at least 10 feet wide and 12 feet in height. The Genesee Valley Greenway will be cleared to 12 feet wide and 12 feet high wherever possible. Various groups and individuals have already and will continue to adopt sections of the trail. Their periodic maintenance will allow the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail to be maintained to these dimensions. Trail adopters will also carry out periodic monitoring of their sections of trail to ensure that any conditions that could cause conflict are reported to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), or directly addressed. Keeping the trail at this width will minimize the potential for user contact.
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway consists of individuals who are members of various trail user groups and thus are able to discuss and evaluate the planning and management of the Greenway in light of the perspective of these groups.
The Unit Management Plan public meetings are designed to give all types of trail users an opportunity to provide input to the Greenway's rules and regulations and plan for management.
3. What about crime and vandalism?
Ensuring the safety of trail users and adjacent landowners is a high priority for DEC, OPRHP, and the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway. DEC Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs), OPRHP State Park Police, the state police, county sheriffs and local police forces will be ready to respond if needed and will work together to see that the Genesee Valley Greenway rules and regulations are enforced.
While no one can say there'll never be any instance of criminal activity on the Genesee Valley Greenway, experience with greenways all across the nation indicates that typically, when an abandoned rail bed is converted to a public, multi- use trail, incidents of crime and vandalism decrease. The rail bed is no longer a place where people can go to hang out or dump trash because there is too great a possibility that they will be discovered. Barriers are being erected so that unauthorized vehicles will not be able to gain access to the trail. The Rails to Trails Conservancy recommends that the way to minimize crime on trails is to ensure that users exercise proper safety precautions, keep the trail well maintained, and boost trail use.
Being concerned about crime and vandalism is natural. Others have expressed these same type of concerns before greenway trails were established elsewhere in the state and across the country. Studies of rail trails in Minnesota, Iowa, Florida, California, and North Carolina have concluded that the fear of crime was greater than the crime that actually occurred.
A survey of persons using greenways in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina found that 59% of Raleigh users and 75% of Charlotte users felt that crime was not a problem.
A study of a rural and suburban rail trail in Minnesota indicated that adjacent landowners often anticipated concems such as crime, trespassing, and lowered property values, but these concerns never materialized after the rail trail was completed. 85 % of the landowners reported experiencing no problems with the trail 80% of the landowners felt that the trails did not increase the opportunity for violent crime, a finding that was supported by reports from law enforcement personnel and trail managers 73% of adjacent landowners viewed the trail as desirable. While many of the adjacent landowners were initially opposed to the trail, the study discovered that 88% subsequently became trail users 30% of the landowners surveyed did report that they had been asked for a drink, or directions, or use of a telephone.
In a National Parks Service study of rail trails in Iowa, Florida, and California, 90-97% of those surveyed responded that living near or next to a rail trail was better than living next to an abandoned rail corridor.
A 1998 Rails to Trails Conservancy national survey of 372 rail trail managers and 12 law enforcement agents compared reports of major and minor crimes on rail trails to the national average for these types of crimes in urban, suburban, and rural settings. In all cases the crime rates on trails were found to be very low when compared to the national crime rate. Only eleven or three percent of the trails surveyed reported experiencing any type of major crime. Only one-fourth of the rail trail managers reported any type of minor crime such as graffiti or littering. Letters from law enforcement of ficials indicated that such incidents were minimal.
4. How is this greenway going to be maintained?
The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway will work with DEC and OPRHP to maintain the Greenway. DEC and OPRHP will be responsible for taking care of major capital repairs and construction projects as well as large scale trail maintenance such as cleaning of culverts or removal of large trees overhanging the trail. The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway will be responsible for ongoing maintenance, minor repairs, and brush cutting.
Already, local committees in Nunda and Portage, Mt. Morris, Caledonia, York and Leicester, and the Northern Committee serving the towns of Chili and Wheatland, are responsible for trail maintenance in their areas. Individuals and organizations have adopted various sections of trail, as part of an Adopt a Trail program, modeled on the successful Adopt a Highway initiative. The Letchworth District Boy Scouts have voted to devote one camporee a year for the next three years to working on the Genesee Valley Greenway. Genesee Valley BOCES classes have helped to clear trail in the village of Mt. Morris and the Genesee Valley BOCES Metal Trades class has made gates for the greenway.
It is expected that local committees and groups and individuals will adopt sections all along the trail so that all general maintenance will be undertaken by volunteers.
5. How much will this Greenway cost and who is going to pay?
Much of the large scale development costs will be paid for using federal ISTEA funds. Development costs for the northern 50 miles have been estimated at $1.5 million, which will pay for design, bridges, signs, barriers, and other capital items. Presently, development funds are not available for the southern 40 miles, application for funding from TEA-21 is presently being discussed.
Since the Genesee Valley Greenway project was begun in 1991, its hallmark has been the promotion of partnerships. Without donations of hours of labor and a variety of materials, the Genesee Valley Greenway would not be as accessible as it is today. The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway expects to continue to build partnerships and seek contributions and donations of labor and materials to assist DEC and OPRHP with long-term trail development and maintenance.
6. We need roads and bridges. Why are federal transportation dollars being used for a trail?
The federal ISTEA dollars being used to develop the Genesee Valley Greenway come from a fund that is dedicated for transportation enhancement projects only. New York State was required to set aside at least 10 percent of the federal highway dollars they receive for transportation enhancement projects. If they had not set this money aside, they would not have received the other money that they use to build roads and bridges. Transportation enhancements money can only be used for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, landscaping and scenic beautification, scenic or historic highway programs, historic preservation, preservation of abandoned railway corridors, control and removal of outdoor advertising, archaeological planning and research, mitigation of water pollution due to highway runoff, acquisition of scenic easements and scenic/historic sites, and rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, structures or facilities.
Local communities across the country have demonstrated a strong desire to fund bicycle, pedestrian, and trail projects as evidenced by their overmatching of federal transportation funds. When communities receive ISTEA funding, they are required to provide a 20 percent funding match. What has happened is that, on average across the nation, communities have provided 27 percent of project funding, indicating a high level of commitment and enthusiasm for these type of transportation enhancement projects.
Federal ISTEA funding of a project like the Genesee Valley Greenway provides additional economic benefits for the communities in the project area through material and equipment purchases and some contracting of construction work. When people come to use the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail, they will most likely spend money in Greenway communities for food, supplies, souvenirs, gas, and lodging. These purchases not only help those businesses directly but also add to the sales tax revenues for the state and county.
According to a nationwide poll commissioned by Rodale Press in 1995, 56 percent of adults would like their governments to devote more funds to pedestrian and bike pathways in their area. A new federal transportation bill was signed last month (6/98), called TEA-21. This will provide funds for additional transportation enhancement projects like the Genesee Valley Greenway. Discussions are underway about applying for funds from the TEA-21 program to undertake additional Genesee Valley Greenway Trail development in Wyoming, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties.
7. Have all adjacent landowners been contacted informing them of the sale of the Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) property to the State?
RG&E has contacted adjacent landowners who previously had agreements with RG&E or who were identified by DEC surveyors as using the RG&E property in some way. During the last two years, RG&E and DEC have met with many adjacent landowners to review their situation and develop a course of action that considers their interests while preserving the remaining integrity of the rail bed and canal prism.
In May 1998, adjacent landowners in Livingston and Monroe counties were sent a letter stating that the State of New York was in the process of purchasing the corridor owned by RG&E. The letter was included with a copy of the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway (FOGVG) spring newsletter.
In August 1998, public informational meetings were held in Scottsville, Mt. Morris, Fillmore, and Cuba. At these meetings, representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway (FOGVG), and RG&E fully described the nature of the project and solicited input from the public. All adjacent landowners were sent an invitation to attend these meetings.
In September 1998, adjacent landowners in Allegany county also were sent a letter stating that New York State was buying the corridor from RG&E. Included with the letter was a copy of the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway summer-fall newsletter, the Greenway News.
The letters sent to adjacent landowners in May and September also explained that DEC, OPRHP, and the FOGVG were working with local communities to develop the former canal and railroad route as a 90-mile multi-use trail and natural resource corridor extending from Rochester to Hinsdale.
Since the fall of 1998, adjacent landowners along the corridor in Monroe, Livingston, and Allegany counties have been sent the FOGVG quarterly newsletter, Greenway News. Each newsletter has contained articles describing trail development plans and activities.
In November 1999, it was discovered that names and addresses of adjacent landowners in Wyoming County had not been included in the previous mailings. This oversight has been rectified and these persons were sent the fall issue of the Greenway News.
8. What types of agreements have been made with adjacent landowners to allow them to continue to use or cross the corridor?
Property owners with encroachments on the Greenway have been offered one of two types of agreements. A permanent Easement Agreement has been offered in a limited number of situations such as where property owners must use the Greenway for driveway access to their property. The more common Occupancy Agreement for a specified ten-year term has been used in situations such as farm crossings and structure encroachments. Both types of agreement are intended to define responsibilities, location, and use of the Greenway for the protection and benefit of everyone.
9. What happens if Easement or Occupancy Agreements are not signed before the State takes title to the corridor?
The State is hopeful that all agreements will be signed before the closing date. After the State takes title to the property, anyone wishing to establish a driveway across the corridor or undertake any other use of the corridor must first follow a procedure that requires an act of the State Legislature. This involves having elected officials sponsor a special bill that needs to be voted on by the Assembly and Senate and signed by the Governor.
10. How wide is the corridor that the State is buying? Is the State taking 200 feet of everyone's property?
The State is not taking anyone's property. The State is buying only the corridor of land that RG&E purchased from the Penndel Corporation in 1963. The corridor is not the same width all along its length. The minimum width is about 60 feet. In some places the corridor is more than 200 feet wide. The width varies depending on how the land was used by the railroad and canal. Wider areas were often the location of canal turning basins, railroad stations, rail sidings, or other railroad structures.
11. Wasn't this going to be only an eight-foot wide trail? Why is the State buying so much land?
When the Genesee Valley Greenway project was first initiated in 1991, the intent was to open an eight-foot wide trail on the former Pennsylvania rail bed. Trail was to be established through the efforts of community volunteers and licensing agreements between individual local governments and RG&E. While the primary focus was establishment of a recreational trail, there was also tremendous public interest in the historic canal ditch, locks, and culverts. Volunteer clearing efforts included these historic resources.
In 1994, DEC, OPRHP, and FOGVG were awarded federal transportation enhancement funds enabling the State to purchase the former canal and railroad corridor in Livingston, Wyoming, Allegany, and Cattaraugus counties. In fact, the funding award to the Genesee Valley Greenway was based on the State of New York acquiring and preserving the entire historic transportation corridor owned by RG&E, including the rail bed, canal ditch and associated lands.
When federal transportation monies were awarded to the project, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) also became involved on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration and set guidelines for trail construction. DOT recommends minimum two feet wide graded areas on both sides of a shared use trail to provide clearance from trees, poles, fences, and other fixed objects. This is not a problem for the Greenway Trail, as the former rail bed was at least that wide. A twelve feet wide trail with two feet wide graded areas on each side helps to safely accommodate different types of trail users.
12. Why hasn't DEC conducted a boundary survey of the property they are buying?
The Genesee Valley Greenway is a 90-mile former canal and railroad corridor dating back to the 1830s. Early on in the planning stage of this project, it became obvious that a full boundary line survey would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming. DEC survey crews have conducted a centerline survey of the rail bed, using modern Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates as well as the historic canal and railroad valuation maps, which show boundary lines and original stationing points. Pins have been set in the ground at intervals along the corridor and correlated with the original stationing wherever possible.
Property owners with boundary questions should first consult their own property survey map. DEC's survey maps have been finalized and will shortly be filed in the respective County Clerk's Offices for public reference. In the meantime, owners with specific questions may contact the DEC Real Property Offices. In DEC Region 8 contact Doug Best at (716) 226-5403. In DEC Region 9, contact Rob Stanton at (716) 372-0645.
13. Some persons have used parts of the RG&E-owned corridor since the railroad left in 1963. In some cases they believe this land has been included in their property assessment and they have been paying taxes on it. Now that the State will be using it, won't it cause their property value to decrease?
RG&E has owned and paid the taxes on this corridor since 1963. No one else should have been assessed for land contained in this corridor. If anyone has questions about the amount of property that they are paying taxes on, they should consult with their assessor.
14. Is the State getting this land as part of the settlement of a citation placed on RG&E by DEC?
No. The State is buying the corridor from RG&E using funds awarded to them in 1994 by the federal Transportation Department's Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) Transportation Enhancements Program.
15. Is there a chance that this land sale will not take place?
The closing date is set for January 31, 2000
16. Does every adjacent landowner have to take out a liability insurance policy just because they live next to the Greenway?
No. Liability insurance may be required only in certain circumstances, when a permanent Easement Agreement is sought
17. In Allegany County, there are a number of places where the river has washed out the rail bed. What are you going to do there?
The trail will now detour to the road shoulder in these locations. Each situation has been located and photographed by DEC. Subsequently, professionals from DEC and OPRHP and, in some cases, the DOT will study each area to determine the best course of action for maintaining a continuous trail that meets the needs of hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders, cross country skiers, and snowmobilers.
18. Is it possible to detour the trail to the shoulder of public roads?
DEC, OPRHP, and FOGVG will work closely with NYSDOT, counties, and towns to choose the best route for the trail. Every effort will be made to minimize the use of the road shoulder and maximize safety.
One of the most important aspects of the Greenway is that it includes an off-road trail that provides the public with a place for recreation and the means to move within and between communities without having to interact with road traffic.
19. There are a number of places in Allegany County where the canal and railroad crossed large water bodies such as Wiscoy Creek, Cold Creek, Caneadea Creek, Houghton Creek, Crawford Creek, and Black Creek. How will these distances be spanned?
In July 1999, DEC and FOGVG applied for federal transportation enhancement funding to help overcome some, but not all of these obstacles. If awarded, this funding could provide for either a new bridge on the remaining abutments at Wiscoy Creek or refurbishment of the Minard Road Bridge, depending on which of the two alternatives is most economical. Federal transportation funding could also be used to cross the gap at Houghton Creek and to purchase the Erie River (Conrail) Line between Cuba and Belfast, in order to provide a means for bridging and bypassing washouts along Black Creek.
As spanning Cold and Caneadea Creek is costly, presently the trail will detour to the Route 19 bridges, which are located nearby. It is hoped that the Crawford Creek crossing will be addressed when NYSDOT undertakes a road realignment project in that area within a few years.
20. Who will be responsible for law enforcement on the Greenway in Wyoming and Allegany counties?
The Greenway partners will work with elected officials and all law enforcement agencies to develop a plan for adequate enforcement coverage for the area.
Where the Greenway is already open in Livingston and Monroe counties, the number of incidents has been low. Local law enforcement officials have worked with NYSDEC Environmental Conservation Officers and NY State Park Police to address issues as they arise. The public has been helpful in informing the officers of situations that need their attention.
21. When will the Greenway be developed in Allegany County?
Already five miles of Greenway are open and being used by the public between Rockville (Route 305 crossing) and South Road in the Town of New Hudson. A Cuba-New Hudson local committee has been in existence for more than one year. The committee has spent many hours in trail clearing, trash removal, and promotion of the Greenway in this portion of Allegany County. They have also received in-kind support for trash removal, small bridge repair, and trail clearing from several local businesses and Allegany County Department of Public Works.
Further development of the Greenway in Allegany County will depend on future funding and community interest.