Referred to: The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chair Nolan and Legislators Donaldson, Kovacs, Litts, and McCollough)

Chair of the Legislature, Peter Criswell, and Majority Leader Abe Uchitelle offer the following:

WHEREAS, the County of Ulster owns 38.6 miles of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad corridor (U&D corridor); and

WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 275 of 2014, the Ulster County Legislature established the County’s policy for the U & D corridor; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. 155 of April 21, 2015, the U&D Corridor Advisory Committee was established for the purpose of conducting a thorough reexamination and study of the work completed in relation to the Corridor, including an economic assessment, by township, with respect to optimum economic feasibility of the Corridor, which resulted in recommendations on the proposed next steps in the process of carrying out Ulster County’s existing policy regarding the U&D Corridor, including any amendments thereto; and

WHEREAS, in furtherance of the U&D Corridor Advisory Committee’s work, Resolution No. 488 of 2015 was adopted, amending the County’s policy on the U&D corridor (the 2015 Policy); and

WHEREAS, the 2015 Policy determined that a segmented approach to the Corridor, that includes rail only segments, trail only segments, and rail with trail segments will maximize the public benefits of the Corridor; and

WHEREAS, the 2015 Policy determined that the segment of the U&D Corridor between MP 8.33 and Basin Road “requires further investigation on the future feasibility of rail with trail and shall be the last segment to be altered or converted on the east side of the Ashokan provided that trail connectivity co-located on the corridor shall be preserved”; and

WHEREAS, both trail advocates and rail advocates have expressed a desire to extend their activities and make use of the U&D Corridor between MP 8.33 and Basin Road (the “Undesignated Section”); and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature is an important participant in the advancement of the U&D corridor and seeks to keep the process of its development open and transparent; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature desires to clarify available options for “ensuring continued benefits of rail events to businesses in uptown Kingston and for expanding trail use throughout the U&D corridor” by addressing the feasibility of rail with trail, rail only, and trail only approaches as Policy for the Undesignated Section; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Ulster County Charter Section C-16 and the Administrative Code Section A2-11: “Advisory committees, commissions and boards. Members of all citizens’ committees, commissions and boards appointed pursuant to Section C-11K of the Charter shall serve at the pleasure of the County Legislature. They shall serve without compensation other than for actual and necessary expenses within appropriations made therefor, unless otherwise provided by resolution of the County Legislature. The Chairman of the County Legislature shall be a member ex-officio of all such committees, commissions and boards;” and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Ulster County Charter Section C-47, “The Director of Planning and/or the County Planning Board shall perform such other and related duties as required by the County Executive or County Legislature,” now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that Ulster & Delaware (U&D) Corridor Advisory Committee shall be re-established for the purpose of developing Policy recommendations to guide activities in the Undesignated Section and to promote general oversight of the development of the U&D Corridor; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the U&D Corridor Advisory Committee shall be comprised of seven (7) members of the Ulster County Legislature appointed by the Chair of the Legislature, three (3) of whom shall represent legislative districts containing or abutting west-of-Kingston segments of the U&D Corridor, two (2) of whom shall represent districts within the City of Kingston and two (2) of whom shall represent districts outside the U&D Corridor, with at least two (2) members of the committee coming from the Minority Caucus, for a term commencing at the effective date of this Resolution through December 31, 2025; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Director of Planning, or designee, shall update the U&D Corridor Advisory Committee at each of its meetings as to the status of various projects along the Corridor, including but not limited to the available and secured funding sources for each project, and the on-going maintenance plan for the segmented Corridor,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                    NOES:      

Passed Committee: Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation on __________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE