Planning staff launch bike‑ped survey; broadband, parks and Fort Delaware projects update

Sullivan County planning staff told the planning committee the county launched a bike‑and‑pedestrian master-plan website and survey and is continuing work on broadband, parks and grant outreach.

Staff said the bike‑and‑pedestrian plan landing page is live on the county planning website and includes plan goals, advisory-committee information and a public survey. The presenter asked legislators and staff to distribute a flyer and QR code; the survey had about 200 responses at the time of the meeting and staff said paper copies would be produced for seniors through the Office for the Aging.

On broadband, staff said the county’s broadband initiative is making progress and thanked County Manager Lauren Green, ITS and other partners for their work. Staff noted they will provide additional information on historical solar-array generation next month.

Parks and recreation updates included a June 20 opening for daily operations at Lake Superior and the county’s recent acceptance of credit-card payments at the park. A cultural-resources survey for Calacun Park has been completed and staff expect to release bid documents in the summer for construction work.

Staff briefed the committee on grants: the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) season was open with an in-person workshop scheduled; staff encouraged community organizations to attend and said online grants orientation resources are available. Staff also reported they received 37 proposals from 34 entities in response to a county-funded youth programming RFP (see Office for the Aging article for details).

Committee members raised two infrastructure topics. A member asked about Fort Delaware fireplaces and roofing; staff said initially gathered quotes did not reflect prevailing-wage requirements and that code and permitting questions caused delays. Staff said Public Works is reviewing options including partnerships with BOCES and others to reduce costs and that project requests had been placed in the county capital plan. Another member noted the county did not secure requested state funding for the second half of an aquifer study; staff said they were pursuing alternative funding sources and that Sullivan County’s aquifer systems have not been fully studied since the 1960s and were last substantially updated in the 1980s.

Staff encouraged committee members and community groups to promote the bike‑and‑ped plan survey and to attend the rail-trail multi-day hike on June 7–8. They also urged local groups to register for the CFA workshop and to utilize the grants-administration resources posted online.

Sources: Planning staff presentation and committee Q&A.