Saratoga County advisory members voted to allocate 2025 trail grants within a $100,000 budget and to forward recommended Open Space grant awards that together represent a constrained-use approach aimed at closing a multiyear backlog, committee members said.

On the 2025 trail grant program, the presenting staff member reported 14 applications requesting $137,460; the subcommittee recommended staying within the $100,000 budget and reducing most awards so the program remains within that allocation. As summarized in the packet and on the record, “So, basically, a $137.04 60 in request. We had a 100,000 in the budget. Subcommittee was uncomfortable recommending tapping into…county reserves,” the presenting staff member said. The subcommittee recommended reducing most $10,000 requests to $7,500 and noted one applicant from Charlton would be reduced to $2,500 to keep the program within budget. Committee members approved the recommendation by voice vote.

Committee members also reviewed the Open Space grant round. The county had $450,000 budgeted; the subcommittee recommended awarding up to $400,000 now and reserving a portion of funds for future years, which will leave some projects unfunded or reduced. The presenting staff member said only one applicant — the Town of Galway — received its full requested amount, while others were reduced; one applicant (Town of Milton) required a slight upward correction because of an application error. The committee approved the subcommittee’s recommended award amounts and directed staff to proceed with resolutions reflecting the recommended funding levels.

A persistent theme in the meeting was the length of time some projects remain open and the need for process changes. Committee members noted several projects from 2021 and 2023 remain unresolved and tied up significant reserve balances. The presenting staff member said two 2021 projects remain open because of ongoing landowner negotiations, and the subcommittee asked staff to send letters to the towns holding those awards that the county expects projects to close by year-end or for the towns to relinquish funds and reapply when projects are ready. The committee also adopted a two-year completion deadline in its resolutions going forward and discussed adding expiration or “claw-back” provisions to grant agreements so funds can be reallocated if milestones are not met.

Committee members suggested possible remedies including more staff resources for PLAN and the grant process, limited allowances (for example up to 10%) for changes in total project cost without returning to committee, and use of critical-path scheduling and additional consultant or staff funding to accelerate project completion. The presenting staff member said the subcommittee will follow up with PLAN and the towns; one committee member volunteered to participate in a working meeting to identify process improvements.

Motions to approve the trail grant recommendations and the Open Space grant resolutions were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee asked staff to implement the two-year project completion requirement, consider expiration clauses for future grant agreements, and send notices to municipalities with multi-year open projects to close them out or relinquish funds.