Referred to:  The American Rescue Plan Act Special Committee (Chairman Criswell and Legislators Corcoran, Levine, Lopez, and Sperry), The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chairwoman Petit and Legislators Fabiano, Litts, Nolan, and Stewart), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Cahill, Fabiano, Ronk, and Walter)

Chairman of the ARPA Special Committee, Peter J. Criswell, and Deputy Chair Thomas Corcoran, Jr. offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Department of Finance, Division of Recovery and Resilience; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature passed Resolution Number 333 on August 17, 2021 creating Capital Project number 602, entitled “ARP Infrastructure and Trails”, with an anticipated allocation in the amount of $6,000,000.00; and

WHEREAS, resolution number 333 resolved that funding for capital project number 602 shall be subject to the further approval of the Ulster County Legislature; and

WHEREAS, a purpose of Capital Project number 602 is to utilize $2,100,000.00 of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for Rail Trail Improvement and Infrastructure investments that assist economic development and mental health in Ulster County; and

WHEREAS, the Open Space Institute Land Trust, Inc (OSI) seeks a transfer of $2,100,000.00 of ARPA funds from Ulster County to act as a federal subrecipient in administering a program to deliver construction and renovations to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail from the Village of New Paltz to the Town of Gardiner; to the Ontario & Western (O&W) Rail Trail from the hamlet of Accord (Town of Rochester) to the hamlet of Kerhonkson (Town of Wawarsing); and to the O&W Rail Trail from the Hamlet of Napanoch to the Village of Ellenville (both in the Town of Wawarsing); and

WHEREAS, OSI will provide day to day oversight and program delivery, maintain and rebuild existing infrastructure, remove vegetation, improve drainage, upgrade the safety of existing bridges, road crossings, and fencing, regrade and resurface trails, provide budgetary and other supporting documents related to the transferred funds, andensure compliance with Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) regulations of ARPA; and

WHEREAS, expansion of Ulster County’s trail networks is identified as a priority in the Ulster County Recovery & Resilience Plan as well as in the Ulster County Green New Deal where expansion of Ulster’s trail networks works to connect Ulster’s population centers to walking and biking access; and

WHEREAS, these rail trail improvements will serve the under resourced community of Ellenville, provide access to scenic views along the Rondout Creek, further the completion of a 29-mile rail trail from the City of Kingston to the Village of Ellenville, and provide a direct feeder trail to the statewide Empire State Trail in the Village of New Paltz; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that Capital Project No. 602 for the ARP Infrastructure and Trailsbe amended as follows:

INCREASE                                   AMOUNT

Capital Project No. 602                   ARP Infrastructure and Trails        $2,100,000.00

and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the 2022 Ulster County Capital Fund is hereby amended as follows:

                                                            INCREASE                                       AMOUNT

HH.7197.0602.4300.4505              Professional Services                      $2,100,000.00

(App. #)

HH.7197.0602.3400.4995              Federal Aid, ARPA                          $2,100,000.00

(Rev. #),

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                        NOES:      

Passed Committee: American Rescue Plan Act on _____________.

Passed Committee: Public Works and Capital Projects on _____________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on _____________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

$2,100,000.00 – COUNTY CAPITAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS

$2,100,000.00 – FEDERAL CAPITAL FUND REVENUES