FUTURE CONNECTION The former O&W track bed, seen here where it enters Livingston Manor’s Rotary Park, is slated to become part of the county’s O&W Rail Trail by the end of the decade. The trail as planned will ultimately run from Summitville to Roscoe. Art Steinhauer photo
O&W Rail Trail gets set to roll into the Manor
Plan is to extend it to hamlet’s Rotary Park
By Ethan Sprouse | Manor Ink
Parksville, NY – Manor Ink recently sat down with Rob Eggleton, the supervisor of the Town of Rockland, to hear about the plans for the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail coming into Livingston Manor.
Eggleton told the Ink that the town completed a feasibility study last summer for the extension of the trail out of Parksville into the hamlet’s Rotary Park on Pleasant Street. This phase of the project would connect the park to the Little Beaverkill bridge abutments, approximately 1.2 miles long. The eventual trail would continue, passing Sonoma Falls and onto Parksville, for more than five miles of continuous open trail.
“Connecting the trail to the town greatly increases the chances of getting grant money.”
The original plan had early phases of the trail ending outside of the Town of Rockland; however, the new plan has the Parksville Trail connecting to Rotary Park, which means better accessibility for all residents. As Eggleton put it, “We are now looking at this section as a priority, because there are more benefits to the town to have a section that starts and ends in the town, rather than just between the two communities where there is only a gas station right now.”
The next step in this process is to have the feasibility study converted into an engineering report. That report will allow the town to formally apply for grant funding. The Town of Rockland potentially can request funding from the State government, and possibly even the federal government, to cover half the cost of this project. Once funding is secured, Eggleton is looking to start the project immediately and hopes to have it completed in the next four to five years.
This trail will allow safe access to nature for people of all abilities. It could be used for walking, biking, horseback riding and even cross-country skiing in the winter, according to Eggleton. If possible, the town plans to have the trail even go down to the Little Beaverkill stream bank for access to fishing. And with the elevation gain only being a few feet, the grade of the trail is low enough that it can be wheelchair accessible.
“Connecting the trail to the town greatly increases the chances of getting grant money,” Eggleton said. It also means that in the event of an accident on the trail, emergency services have easier access so they can provide help faster.
Having the trail end at Rotary Park offers opportunities for new businesses as well. Eggleton suggested that the trail head is an ideal place for a bike repair shop or an ice cream shop. Ultimately, Eggleton hopes the venture will bring in more people and revenue to the town so that it truly benefits everyone.
Meanwhile, the Town of Liberty is working on plans to complete the existing O&W Rail Trail out of Parksville to Sonoma Falls (No. 2 on the map above). Liberty recently received the Golden Feather award from Sullivan Renaissance to help with this effort.