October 18, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Construction to begin on Kingston Point Rail Trail & Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet

Informational meeting to be held Thursday, November 1^st at 6:00pm at City Hall

KINGSTON, N.Y. – Mayor Steve Noble is pleased to announce that construction of both the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase 1 and Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet projects will commence this month.

An informational public meeting regarding both of these projects has been scheduled for Thursday, November 1^st at 6:00pm at City Hall, located at 420 Broadway. The meeting will be co-hosted by the Kingston Land Trust, who will also provide interpretation between English and Spanish for participants. The purpose of the meeting is to inform residents, particularly those individuals who live near the project areas, about current and upcoming construction activities and the overall construction schedule for the coming year. 

The construction of the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase 1 project will include the installation of approximately one mile of a 10-foot wide paved public trail from the intersection of Jansen Ave. and East Chester St. to the intersection of Garraghan Drive and 9W at Rondout Gardens. The multi-use trail will provide a safe, accessible pedestrian and bicycle route from the waterfront area to Midtown and will create connections for children and families in Midtown to the Rondout, Hudson River and local parks. This project is supported with funding from: NYSERDA – Cleaner, Greener Communities Program; OPRHP – Heritage Area Systems Program; and OPRHP – Recreational Trails Program. Construction for this phase is scheduled to be completed by August 2019.

Once completed, the Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet will be a pocket park that will provide additional access, safety, amenities, and interpretation of the Kingston Point Rail Trail at the Hasbrouck and Delaware Avenue intersection. In this first construction phase, new sidewalks, greenspace, high visibility crosswalks, and intersection improvements will be made. During the second phase of the project, with support from the Kingston Land Trust and scheduled to take place next year, landscape plantings and street furniture will be placed in the pocket park. The second phase will also include a staircase to be built from the Kingston Point Rail Trail near the entrance to the tunnel up to the street level. This project is supported with funding from the Hudson River Valley Greenway - Greenway Conservancy Program, the City of Kingston’s Community Development Block Grant Program, and the NYSDOT Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). Construction for the first phase is scheduled to be completed by December 2018.

In addition to securing funding for the landscape implementation, the Kingston Land Trust facilitated a volunteer design workgroup to deliver a conceptual vision to the City’s Engineering Department. This design includes native plantings, historical references, green infrastructure and spaces for art. The City of Kingston, with support from the Kingston Land Trust, also convened and facilitated a bilingual outdoor workshop near the site of the Parklet in Summer 2017 to gather feedback on the designs from the public.

“This is an exciting step forward in our efforts to build a more walkable and accessible city,” said Mayor Noble. “One of the unique aspects of this project has been the contributions of community members who have volunteered their time and skills through the design workgroup facilitated by the Kingston Land Trust. This project and our community has benefited greatly thanks to their dedication and expertise.”

“We are so pleased to have been part of the creation of this new green space that will not only give access to the new Kingston Point Rail Trail, which is a section of our partnership initiative, the Kingston Greenline, but will also provide a new gathering space for the neighborhood,” said Julia Farr, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust. “We really appreciate that the City has nurtured such an inclusive and innovative public process through its collaboration with our non-profit organization.”

Both the Kingston Point Rail Trail and the Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet are projects along the Kingston Greenline, which is joint initiative of the Kingston Land Trust, the City of Kingston, and Ulster County. Once complete, the Kingston Greenline will be a network of urban trails, complete streets, and linear parks in the City of Kingston. This infrastructure will connect to a county network of rail trails and become a hub for non-motorized transportation and tourism from four different directions in the county.         

###

Relevant Links

Learn more about the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase 1 project at: www.kingston-ny.gov/kingstonpointrailtrail

Learn more about the Kingston Greenline at: www.kingston-ny.gov/kingstongreenline

Learn more about other transportation projects in the City of Kingston at: www.kingston-ny.gov/KingstonOnTheMove

Learn more about the Kingston Land Trust at: www.kingstonlandtrust.org