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Wawarsing commission presses for action on rail-trail signs, bike racks and federal-funded extension
Summary
Commissioners said donated bike racks and new trail signage remain uninstalled after repeated village promises and discussed a federally funded trail extension that has been rerouted to meet utility concerns; members plan to press the village board for firm timelines in January.
WAWARSING — Members of the Wawarsing Parks & Trails Commission on Tuesday urged faster action from village staff to install donated bike racks and a new Liman Park sign, saying repeated email promises have not led to installations.
Elena, a commission member, said three seven-bike racks remain uninstalled — at the rail-trail entrance by the sewer plant, the upper pavilion parking at Burm Road Park and near the tennis and basketball courts — despite donors providing the hardware. "This is our third cycle," she said, describing a pattern of promises followed by delays. Commissioners agreed to raise the issue at the village board meeting in January to seek a scheduled completion date and broader support.
Commissioners also described work on redesigned trail signage for Liman Park. The new sign and hardware are in storage pending installation; the design consolidates several posts into a single sign and includes space for seasonal notices. Hank, who coordinated the sign pickup from the contractor, said the sign looks "great" and will reduce clutter at trail entrances.
Separately, commissioners received an update on a nearby trail construction project that has federal funding. The route from Route 4455 to Burm Road is reportedly fully funded; local project engineers increased the construction budget from about $800,000 to $1.4 million and rerouted the trail to address requests from Central Hudson. "They're redoing essentially all of the environmental work because it's all in a different place now," a project update said, noting that Section 106 reviews must be completed before final design.
Why it matters: The commission emphasized that donor goodwill is at stake when gifts such as bike racks are not installed, and that visible improvements can encourage more community support and usage. The federally funded segment represents an opportunity to extend the trail network, but commissioners warned federal money and permitting requirements mean timing is uncertain.
What’s next: Commissioners agreed to bring the installation backlog to the village board in January and to continue monitoring the federally funded design work so construction can proceed if the environmental and utility reviews are cleared.
