Lewis County Board of Legislators aimed to vote on rails to trails proposal

LOWVILLE- It’s been a hot topic for North Country folks – a proposed ‘Rails to Trails’ project that would convert Lewis County’s rails to recreational trails.

The Board of Legislators is aimed to vote on the proposal to buy the tracks during their next meeting Tuesday, November 15. A final vote is aimed for November 22.

This update is according to the latest from WWNY-TV.

A public meeting was held this past Wednesday, where County Manager Ryan Piche presented a pitch that explained the several reasoning’s for the pursuit of over 30-miles worth of track from Genesee Valley Transportation (GVT).

Although there seems to be support for the movement on behalf of outdoor sports enthusiasts, including ATV and snowmobilers, not everyone is on track with the proposal.

Laurie Halliday, who represents the Railway Historical Society in Croghan, presented her views to us, which include concerns of preserving what is a historic legacy for the North Country.

She has been advocating for a scenic railway from Lowville to Croghan.

We have an on-air segment planned with Halliday, pending a comment request in return from GVT. That comment request was submitted last week and we have not yet heard back.

Stay tuned, we will air more from Halliday soon.

Image courtesy via the Railway Historical Society of Northern New York.