Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rail Trail Design topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town seeks new designer for federally funded rail-trail after county pushes RFP
Summary
Commissioners were told the county supervisor asked staff to replace the current design consultant on a DOT-funded rail-trail restoration; an RFP is out to select a new firm and county funds previously doubled for the project remain earmarked, but the switch will delay work by several months.
Commission members were told the county supervisor moved to replace the project’s original design consultants and invited a fresh RFP to accelerate a U.S. Department of Transportation–funded restoration of the rail trail between Route 4455 and the BM Road intersection. A committee member said the change effectively resets the consultant-selection process by roughly six months but could yield a firm with deeper experience handling federal grant administration.
Speakers said the county previously increased its local funding for the project—from $800,000 to about $1.4 million—and that money remains set aside. “They sort of said this is not looking like it’s going to be successful the way that you’re going,” one participant said of DOT and county guidance; another said DOT maintains a short list of seven pre‑approved design consultants for such federal projects and recommended picking from that list to reduce administrative risk.
Commissioners said Barry Medenbeck (referenced by meeting participants) has agreed to forward the design materials and provide transitional consulting so a new designer can pick up previous work. Participants described negotiations with Central Hudson over right‑of‑way and a backlog of environmental and historical paperwork required for federal funding as significant administrative barriers.
Committee members asked staff to monitor the OSI preliminary design report for the broader Kingston–Port Jervis corridor, which was described as imminent, because its routing decisions could affect how the local rail‑trail segment is finalised. Several members emphasized the delay is undesirable but preferred a change that improves the county’s chances of complying with DOT procedures and securing federal funds.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the design selection at the meeting; staff were directed to share the RFP results and to circulate any incoming OSI materials when available.
