Williams Lake Project Cuts Ribbon on New Rail Trail

On September 4th at 11:00am the Developers of the Williams Lake Project will open their 1.5 mile section of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail for public access with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Honorable Maurice Hinchey, Congressman Chris Gibson, Senator John Bonacic, Supervisor Jeanne Walsh and County executive Mike Hein and many others have been invited to participate in this historic occasion. All are welcome to attend and light refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

The planning for the opening of the Rail Trail has been ongoing for more than two years now. The Williams Lake Project's developers have been working collaboratively with the Wallkill Valley Land Trust and the Open Space Institute to create a permanent public easement for the rail trail through the more than 779 acres of lands owned by the development company. The trail will open under a temporary easement that will become permanent once the Williams Lake Project developers receive approval for their master plan by the Rosendale Town Board.

As with everyone else in Rosendale and the surrounding area, the Williams Lake Project's developers are excited about opening this beautiful section of trail. The connection through the Williams Lake area north of the trestle will allow the general public, from as far south as Gardiner, to travel all the way to the city of Kingston for the first time since the rails came up on the former Wallkill Valley Rail Road line in the early 1980's.

"Connecting the Williams Lake Rail Trail to the greater rail trail network has been a priority for us from Day One. We are thrilled to provide public access to the beautiful historic resources on the property and to take an important step forward in creating a connection between the Resort and Main Street Rosendale", stated Tim Allred, Project Manager of the Williams Lake Project.

This historic event is one more critical step forward in creating a county wide system of interconnected trails and trail systems that will soon become the envy of New York State.