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County to lead Fair Street TAP application after private match secured, Fjord Trail official says
Summary
Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail and municipal leaders secured a 20% local match for a Federal TAP sidewalk grant on Fair Street and arranged transfer of the final application to Putnam County so the county can front the reimbursable share and submit the March 12 final application, project backers told the Philipstown Town Board.
The Philipstown Town Board heard an update on the Fair Street and Route 9D sidewalk projects as supporters described a public‑private path to secure federal TAP funding.
Peter Mullen, president of the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail (HHFT), told the board that HHFT committed the 20% local match for the Fair Street application and that Putnam County agreed to take over as lead applicant so the county could front the reimbursable portion needed to meet the March 12 final submission deadline. "We are delighted to do [the local match]," Mullen said, characterizing the arrangement as a model public‑private partnership.
Mullen and another presenter outlined the funding timeline: preliminary applications were submitted, the county initially declined to front the reimbursable 80% because of timing, HHFT offered the local match, and after further discussions the county legislature approved transferring the application so the county could file the final packet. The board also recorded continued coordination with Village of Cold Spring officials, state DOT staff and county planning staff on permitting and scope.
The project team described Fair Street improvements as part of a broader package of pedestrian access upgrades tied to the Fjord Trail work. Mullen said the county taking the lead reduces the administrative burden on town staff and moves construction management and cost oversight to the county level for the grant phase. "Having the county take over as the lead applicant also relieved the town and village staff from the huge lift of completing the final application," he said.
The board was told the Route 9D application was abandoned for this funding round after sponsors could not secure fronting of the full project costs; DOT verbally committed to covering only the 20% local share on Route 9D. The presenters emphasized that final design and construction will be phased and that the county-led grant submission aims to protect municipal staff capacity and accelerate the Fair Street portion.
Next steps include Putnam County submitting the final application and continued local coordination on letters of support and interagency permitting. The board thanked HHFT for the match commitment and signaled support for county submission of the final application.
