Supervisors praise bus pilot, cite state support for rail trail; Reverend Tim Singletary appointed to housing task force

Supervisors at the Columbia County Board meeting on June 11, 2025, reported that a recent county bus pilot operated successfully and received community support, and they credited state legislators for securing funding to extend the rail trail.

Supervisor Simmons thanked Columbia County staff and supervisors for a bus function held Tuesday morning, calling it a successful pilot and expressing hope it would expand eastward or northeast. Simmons also thanked Assemblymember Judy Barrett and State Senator Hinchey (as stated in the meeting) and other state officials for helping secure state funding to extend the rail trail; the remarks noted a goal of creating a continuous trail connection from the Metro‑North endpoint into further communities.

Another supervisor thanked the Chatham mayor and local partners for outreach and logistics and said the trail now draws hundreds of cyclists and walkers on weekends compared with prior years.

Separately, the board made a formal appointment: the Rev. Tim Singletary was appointed to the Columbia County housing task force. The appointment was made during supervisors' business and recorded in the meeting minutes portion of the transcript.

No specific dollar amounts for the rail trail funding or detailed ridership statistics for the bus pilot were provided in the excerpt; supervisors named the state legislators and the governor in acknowledging support. The transcript did not include formal motions or votes naming movers or seconds for the appointment within the excerpt provided, though the meeting recorded an appointment by the board.