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Council approves $2.75M Black Diamond Trail extension and multiple bond measures
Summary
Ithaca Common Council unanimously approved accepting a $2.2 million federal TAP grant for the $2.75 million Black Diamond Trail extension (requiring a $550,000 local match and $275,000 from NYS Parks) and passed several other bond resolutions for park and infrastructure projects.
The Ithaca Common Council on June 3 unanimously approved a resolution accepting a $2.2 million federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant toward a $2.75 million extension of the Black Diamond Trail, which requires a $550,000 local match. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is offering $275,000 to assist with the match.
"This resolution accepts that funding," Alderperson Win said when moving the item. Council carried the motion unanimously.
Council also approved a bundle of bond resolutions during a "lightning round," including:
- $851,152 in bonds to pay costs for Union Field restroom and storage upgrades and related improvements in Cass Park. - A $600,000 bond for Meadow Street water-main replacement (one part of a larger $1.2M project that is funded from two separate funds). - A sewer-project bond and borrowing for central-station fire-station projects; members asked staff and bond counsel to clarify fund sources and titles for projects where the original capital-project text referenced multiple stations.
In one water-main item council discussed that the two identical $600,000 entries were parts of a single larger capital project funded from two different funds and that bond documents would serialize and designate fund paydown.
Why it matters: The capital investments are intended to support recreation (trail/connectivity), park amenities and critical infrastructure (water and sewer). The Black Diamond Trail extension leverages federal and state grant support and will require the local match.
What happens next: City staff will execute grant and bond paperwork, and bond counsel will finalize serializations and fund designations. Projects will move to design and procurement as funding is finalized.
