Funding process for trail clears another hurdle from the Friday, October 29, 1999 issue of The Times Herald
By Rick Jozwiak
A $3.1 million grant application for a proposed recreational trail between Salamanca and Cattaraugus has made heartening progress, trail planners said.
The Southern tier Association for Rails to Trails (START) applied earlier this summer for state money to develop a 12-mile recreational trail along the former New York & Lake Erie Railroad bed.
Rick LeFeber, executive director of Cattaraugus Local Development Corp. and founder of Rails to Trails, said the grant application will be reviewed by a state transportation committee. The state commissioner of transportation will decide which projects get money after hearing the committee's recommendations on the 15 remaining grant applications.
Mr. LeFeber said the commissioner is expected to make the decision before the end of the year.
The trail would be available to bicyclists, hikers, horseback riding, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. Starting at the Salamanca city line, the trail will stretch to New Albion Road in Cattaraugus and link with several local, state and national trail systems in the area.
Besides advancing the START grant application, the state Department of transportation increased the grant amount by more than $16,000 to ensure there was enough money for bridge maintenance along the trail. That was a heartening sign of the application's prospects, Mr. LeFeber said.
Association for Rails to Trails Chairman brad Walters said, '"This is a major victory on the review path of this grant application. This project has come a tremendous distance since we formed our organization and undertook this project in January of this year".
Mr. LeFeber said the goal is to finish the project within two years. If the goal is realized, the project would serve as a model for future trail projects, he said.
The village of Little Valley is sponsoring the project and will be the site of a recreation area along the trail at the east end of Main Street.
Through a donation of materials, Mr. LeFeber said Rails to Trails has received and is storing the components to build a steel arch across the trail in Little Valley.
The structure would be called the "Friendship Arch" and would stand 40 feet tall and 100 feet across.
Rails to Trails is waiting to take possession of the rail line once the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency receives state approval.
The Friendship Arch will be built shortly after Rails to Trails takes possession of the property, he said.
Friday, October 29, 1999
Thursday, October 28, 1999
Cattaraugus Rails-to-Trails Application Clears Hurdle - The Post Journal
Cattaraugus Rails-to-Trails Application Clears Hurdle from the Thursday, October 28th, 1999 issue of The Post-Journal
By The POST-JOURNAL staff
LITTLE VALLEY - A $1.3 million grant application for the development of 12.4 miles of abandoned rail bed in Cattaraugus County has cleared another hurdle.
Little Valley Mayor Bonnie Bigelow and Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp., announced Wednesday the Buffalo office of the state Transportation Department has completed its review of 31 projects applications and forwarded the local request to the state for review and possible approval.
Robert J. Russell, regional director for the state Transportation Department, informed Mrs. Bigelow I writing that the project was one of the 15 sent on for more review under the state's Transportation Enhancement Program.
A statewide Transportation Enhancement Advisory Committee will look over the application and the state Transportation Department commissioner is expected to make the final project selections by the end of the year.
The Cattaraugus IDA owns the rail bed and is seeking $1,316,500 to develop the site as a "Rails-to-Trails" facility. The Rails-to-Trails will run from the Salamanca city line to the village of Cattaraugus.
"This is a major victory on the review path of this grant application," said Brad Walters, Southern Tier Rails-to-Trails Association chairman. "This project has come a tremendous distance since we formed our organization and undertook this project in January of this year."
Little Valley is serving as the sponsor for the money request while the Cattaraugus IDA is the applicant.
"We have to be proud of the spirit and dedication that all the community leaders, politicians, civic/private organizations and municipalities have contributed to create a huge momentum to make this project a reality," LeFeber said. "This is a project that will contribute to our area's tourism and economic base."
By The POST-JOURNAL staff
LITTLE VALLEY - A $1.3 million grant application for the development of 12.4 miles of abandoned rail bed in Cattaraugus County has cleared another hurdle.
Little Valley Mayor Bonnie Bigelow and Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp., announced Wednesday the Buffalo office of the state Transportation Department has completed its review of 31 projects applications and forwarded the local request to the state for review and possible approval.
Robert J. Russell, regional director for the state Transportation Department, informed Mrs. Bigelow I writing that the project was one of the 15 sent on for more review under the state's Transportation Enhancement Program.
A statewide Transportation Enhancement Advisory Committee will look over the application and the state Transportation Department commissioner is expected to make the final project selections by the end of the year.
The Cattaraugus IDA owns the rail bed and is seeking $1,316,500 to develop the site as a "Rails-to-Trails" facility. The Rails-to-Trails will run from the Salamanca city line to the village of Cattaraugus.
"This is a major victory on the review path of this grant application," said Brad Walters, Southern Tier Rails-to-Trails Association chairman. "This project has come a tremendous distance since we formed our organization and undertook this project in January of this year."
Little Valley is serving as the sponsor for the money request while the Cattaraugus IDA is the applicant.
"We have to be proud of the spirit and dedication that all the community leaders, politicians, civic/private organizations and municipalities have contributed to create a huge momentum to make this project a reality," LeFeber said. "This is a project that will contribute to our area's tourism and economic base."
Saturday, September 25, 1999
Counties Cooperate to Push Tourism - The Post-Journal
Counties Cooperate to Push Tourism from the Saturday, September 25th, 1999 issue of The Post-Journal
The move involved Chautauqua County Rails-to-Trails, headed by Less Johnson, and Southern Tier Association for Rails-to-Trails with Bradley P. Walters as chairman.
They emphasized the action in intended to form sister trails for mutual support and momentum as each project expands and unfolds.
"Our cooperative activities have helped coordinate an effort to acquire much needed maintenance and development tools that ensure our projects' success," Walters said.
"The Learning Center is Falconer has helped immensely with this effort," he said.
Walters noted the Rails-to-Trails associations are presently involved in an extensive mapping project for Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties to create a coordinated map for recreational trail users and tourism within the counties.
He said the Southern Tier organization's steering committee has just completed and submitted a Recreation Trail program Grant requested for $80,000.
Walters said that if approved the funding will be used for planning, safety equipment, picnic tables, self-contained bathrooms, maintenance equipment and beautification program for a demonstration project in Little Valley.
He said the proposed project includes a Friendship Arch at the end of Main Street, along with placing a refurbished railroad caboose nearby for use as an information/tourism center.
Walters said the steering committee also has designated the Cattaraugus County walkway as "Iroquois Recreational Trail".
He said the name was chosen as much for its ability to invoke a mysticism for the trail and the region as well as for its historical and geographical importance.
Walters said the Iroquois Confederation was formed in 1570 of five Iroquois-speaking North American Indian tribes - the Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida and Onondaga - known as the League of the Iroquois or the Five Nations.
Friday, September 3, 1999
Year-round trail from abandoned rail in the works
From Ski & Entertainment Guide 1999-2000
Year-round trail from abandoned rail in the works
LITTLE VALLEY - Members of the Southern Tier Rails to Trail Association (START) Steering committee have chosen “ The Iroquois Recreation Trail” as the moniker for the pathway that will run along the 12.1 mile former rail bed.
“The name for the trail was chosen as much for its ability to invoke a mysticism for the trail and the region, as well as its historical and geographical importance,” said START member Tim Jackson Sr.
The Seneca Indians, who continue to live in the region through which the trail runs, were one of five nations, along with Cayugas, Mohawk, Oneida and Onondaga, which formed the Iroquois Confederacy.
The Erie Railroad operated the line from 1881 to 1992, when the 12-mile stretch became the property of the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency.
The line was last used by the New York and Lake Erie Railroad for excursion train runs into Salamanca before the rail and ties were salvaged.
CCIDA turned the property over to CLDC in the spring after a series of public meetings.
The Southern Tier Area Rails to Trail Committee (S.T.A.R.T.) is working with the CLDC on the conversion project. S.T.A.R.T. hopes to use volunteer labor for clean-up efforts and the resurfacing of the trail. The organization formed a steering committee in March to seek grant funds, coordinate fund raising efforts, manage the volunteer work force, and evaluate project costs.
Committee members said the trail is designed to provide a dedicated, safe, alternative route for hikers, bicyclists, horseback riding, sleigh riders, rollerbladers, snowshoe users, snowmobilers, and cross country skiers. The project is expected to involve Allegany State Park, the Seneca Nation of Indians, the City of Salamanca, the towns of Salamanca, Little Valley, Mansfield and New Albion, and the villages of Little Valley and Cattaraugus.
Recreation Trail Program Grant funds totaling $80,000 be used for planning, safety equipment, picnic tables, self-contained bathrooms, and maintenance equipment, as well as beautification projects scheduled for the demonstration project in Little Valley.
No date has yet been set for the completion of the project.
Two of these beautification projects are the Friendship Arch to be located at the end of Main Street in the Village of Little Valley and the placement of a refurbished caboose near the arch to be used for an information/tourist center, similar to the Salamanca Area Chamber of commerce tourist information center on Broad Street Extension.
Leaders from Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties have teamed up to promote their rails-to-trails projects to tourists.
In an effort to increase cooperation across county lines and link major tourism assets in the Southern Tier, rails-to-trails association in both counties are working together on sister projects.
“Our cooperative activities have helped coordinate an effort to acquire much-needed maintenance and development tools that ensure our projects’ success,’ said Southern Tier Association for Rails-to-Trails START Chairman Brad Walters. “The Teaching Center in Falconer has helped immensely with this effort.”
The Rails-to Trails associations are also currently involved in an extensive mapping project for the tree counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua. The project will culminate in a coordinated map for recreational trail users and tourism within those counties.
Committee members include Project Coordinator and CLDC Executive Director Rick LeFeber, Walters of the Southern Tier Builders Association, Wayne Reed of the Cattaraugus County Snowmobile Club, Tammy Buchhardt of Little Valley Revitalization and Economic Development (LVRED) Jim Toner of the New York State Snowmobile Association and Jackson.
Year-round trail from abandoned rail in the works
LITTLE VALLEY - Members of the Southern Tier Rails to Trail Association (START) Steering committee have chosen “ The Iroquois Recreation Trail” as the moniker for the pathway that will run along the 12.1 mile former rail bed.
“The name for the trail was chosen as much for its ability to invoke a mysticism for the trail and the region, as well as its historical and geographical importance,” said START member Tim Jackson Sr.
The Seneca Indians, who continue to live in the region through which the trail runs, were one of five nations, along with Cayugas, Mohawk, Oneida and Onondaga, which formed the Iroquois Confederacy.
The Erie Railroad operated the line from 1881 to 1992, when the 12-mile stretch became the property of the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency.
The line was last used by the New York and Lake Erie Railroad for excursion train runs into Salamanca before the rail and ties were salvaged.
CCIDA turned the property over to CLDC in the spring after a series of public meetings.
The Southern Tier Area Rails to Trail Committee (S.T.A.R.T.) is working with the CLDC on the conversion project. S.T.A.R.T. hopes to use volunteer labor for clean-up efforts and the resurfacing of the trail. The organization formed a steering committee in March to seek grant funds, coordinate fund raising efforts, manage the volunteer work force, and evaluate project costs.
Committee members said the trail is designed to provide a dedicated, safe, alternative route for hikers, bicyclists, horseback riding, sleigh riders, rollerbladers, snowshoe users, snowmobilers, and cross country skiers. The project is expected to involve Allegany State Park, the Seneca Nation of Indians, the City of Salamanca, the towns of Salamanca, Little Valley, Mansfield and New Albion, and the villages of Little Valley and Cattaraugus.
Recreation Trail Program Grant funds totaling $80,000 be used for planning, safety equipment, picnic tables, self-contained bathrooms, and maintenance equipment, as well as beautification projects scheduled for the demonstration project in Little Valley.
No date has yet been set for the completion of the project.
Two of these beautification projects are the Friendship Arch to be located at the end of Main Street in the Village of Little Valley and the placement of a refurbished caboose near the arch to be used for an information/tourist center, similar to the Salamanca Area Chamber of commerce tourist information center on Broad Street Extension.
Leaders from Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties have teamed up to promote their rails-to-trails projects to tourists.
In an effort to increase cooperation across county lines and link major tourism assets in the Southern Tier, rails-to-trails association in both counties are working together on sister projects.
“Our cooperative activities have helped coordinate an effort to acquire much-needed maintenance and development tools that ensure our projects’ success,’ said Southern Tier Association for Rails-to-Trails START Chairman Brad Walters. “The Teaching Center in Falconer has helped immensely with this effort.”
The Rails-to Trails associations are also currently involved in an extensive mapping project for the tree counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua. The project will culminate in a coordinated map for recreational trail users and tourism within those counties.
Committee members include Project Coordinator and CLDC Executive Director Rick LeFeber, Walters of the Southern Tier Builders Association, Wayne Reed of the Cattaraugus County Snowmobile Club, Tammy Buchhardt of Little Valley Revitalization and Economic Development (LVRED) Jim Toner of the New York State Snowmobile Association and Jackson.
Thursday, July 15, 1999
Trail officials seek $1.2 million grant - The Times Herald
Trail officials seek $1.2 million grant from the
Thursday, July 15, 1999 issue of The Times Herald
By: Rick Jozwiak
The Southern Tier Association for Rails to Trails hopes to win a $1.3 million state grant to develop a 12-mile recreation trail between Salamanca and Cattaraugus.
The grant would help pay the estimated $2.1 million cost of transforming the former New York & Lake Erie Railroad bed into a recreational trail that could be used all year. Rails to Trails was founded by the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp., a not-for-profit organization based in the village of Cattaraugus.
The organization founder, Rick LeFeber, expects to hear whether Rails to Trails was awarded the TEA-21 trail grant by early next year.
The organization also has applied for an $80,000 grant from the state Recreational Trails Program.
In the meantime, Rails to Trails is waiting to take possession of the property from the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency. The agency has owned the railroad line since 1980; it provided rail service until 1990.
The Industrial Development Agency accepted a plan in the spring by Rails to Trails to build the line into a trail for bicyclists, hikers, horseback riders, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. The trail would stretch from the Salamanca city line to New Albion road in Cattaraugus and link with several local, state and national trail systems in the area.
Norman Leyh, the agency's executive director, said the property can be deeded over to Rails to Trails when the OK is given by the state. The Department of Transportation has preferential rights, which means the state is granted the first chance to buy the property or pass.
Mr. Leyh said despite many calls and letters, he has been waiting some time for a response.
"It's very frustrating ... We would like to dispose of it as quickly as possible," he said. "We're waiting on others now."
So the project doesn't lose momentum, Mr. LeFeber said once Rails to Trails takes ownership, work will start in the Little Valley area. The organization is planning a demonstration project along part of the tracks at the east end of Main Street in the village.
At that location, the railroad bed widens and could serve as a small park along the trail where visitors could stop, he said. Once the property is transferred, workers will start clearing the area, and the group plans to welcome visitors with an arch and a turn-of-the-century caboose.
"We need something initially when we take possession of the property that would be very visible, and we thought that would be the place to do it," he said.
By: Rick Jozwiak
The Southern Tier Association for Rails to Trails hopes to win a $1.3 million state grant to develop a 12-mile recreation trail between Salamanca and Cattaraugus.
The grant would help pay the estimated $2.1 million cost of transforming the former New York & Lake Erie Railroad bed into a recreational trail that could be used all year. Rails to Trails was founded by the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp., a not-for-profit organization based in the village of Cattaraugus.
The organization founder, Rick LeFeber, expects to hear whether Rails to Trails was awarded the TEA-21 trail grant by early next year.
The organization also has applied for an $80,000 grant from the state Recreational Trails Program.
In the meantime, Rails to Trails is waiting to take possession of the property from the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency. The agency has owned the railroad line since 1980; it provided rail service until 1990.
The Industrial Development Agency accepted a plan in the spring by Rails to Trails to build the line into a trail for bicyclists, hikers, horseback riders, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. The trail would stretch from the Salamanca city line to New Albion road in Cattaraugus and link with several local, state and national trail systems in the area.
Norman Leyh, the agency's executive director, said the property can be deeded over to Rails to Trails when the OK is given by the state. The Department of Transportation has preferential rights, which means the state is granted the first chance to buy the property or pass.
Mr. Leyh said despite many calls and letters, he has been waiting some time for a response.
"It's very frustrating ... We would like to dispose of it as quickly as possible," he said. "We're waiting on others now."
So the project doesn't lose momentum, Mr. LeFeber said once Rails to Trails takes ownership, work will start in the Little Valley area. The organization is planning a demonstration project along part of the tracks at the east end of Main Street in the village.
At that location, the railroad bed widens and could serve as a small park along the trail where visitors could stop, he said. Once the property is transferred, workers will start clearing the area, and the group plans to welcome visitors with an arch and a turn-of-the-century caboose.
"We need something initially when we take possession of the property that would be very visible, and we thought that would be the place to do it," he said.
Saturday, July 10, 1999
S.T.A.R.T. Submits Grant Application - County Chronicle
S.T.A.R.T. Submits Grant Application from the
Saturday, July 10, 1999 issue of the County Chronicle
"The Cattaraugus County Rail-to-Trail project has been on the fast track since its inception," stated Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corporation. "A project of this magnitude usually takes seven years to complete. We expect to be completed in two, but we could never have gotten this far and as fast as we did without the support and tireless efforts of our County Legislators, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Development and Agricultural Committee, the Village of Little Valley, our Steering Committee (Southern Tier Association for Rails to Trails (S.T.A.R.T.) and all those who supported us through letters and in other ways. I would like to personally thank Elliott Ellis, Jim Ellis, Jim Snyder, Jess Fitzpatric, Pat McCrea, Bonnie Bigelow, John Sayegh, Terry Martin, Brad Walters, Tammy Buchhardt and the rest of our Steering Committee, without their support this project might never have gotten off the ground."
"The S.T.A.R.T. committee has just submitted its application for a $1.3 million grant in the form of TEA-21 money. The total cost for this project is $2.1 million. We expect to hear from the state early next year, but in the meantime we would like to continue with the momentum we have generated ad start by erecting a Friendship Arch at the lower end of Main Street in the Village of Little Valley. This will serve as the beginning of our demonstration project," continued LeFeber.
Brad Walters, chairman of the S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee, added, "This has been an exceptional project. I have never seen a project move along as smoothly as this one has. I know for a fact that we are only here, at this point, because everyone has pulled together for a common goal. This project will benefit our county through increased tourism dollars, and public awareness as to what our county has to offer. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and of those who have contributed to its success.
"The Cattaraugus County Rail-to-Trail project has been on the fast track since its inception," stated Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corporation. "A project of this magnitude usually takes seven years to complete. We expect to be completed in two, but we could never have gotten this far and as fast as we did without the support and tireless efforts of our County Legislators, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Development and Agricultural Committee, the Village of Little Valley, our Steering Committee (Southern Tier Association for Rails to Trails (S.T.A.R.T.) and all those who supported us through letters and in other ways. I would like to personally thank Elliott Ellis, Jim Ellis, Jim Snyder, Jess Fitzpatric, Pat McCrea, Bonnie Bigelow, John Sayegh, Terry Martin, Brad Walters, Tammy Buchhardt and the rest of our Steering Committee, without their support this project might never have gotten off the ground."
"The S.T.A.R.T. committee has just submitted its application for a $1.3 million grant in the form of TEA-21 money. The total cost for this project is $2.1 million. We expect to hear from the state early next year, but in the meantime we would like to continue with the momentum we have generated ad start by erecting a Friendship Arch at the lower end of Main Street in the Village of Little Valley. This will serve as the beginning of our demonstration project," continued LeFeber.
Brad Walters, chairman of the S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee, added, "This has been an exceptional project. I have never seen a project move along as smoothly as this one has. I know for a fact that we are only here, at this point, because everyone has pulled together for a common goal. This project will benefit our county through increased tourism dollars, and public awareness as to what our county has to offer. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and of those who have contributed to its success.
Friday, July 9, 1999
START seeks $1.3 million for recreation trail - The Salamanca Press
START seeks $1.3 million for recreation trail from the Friday, July 9, 1999 issue of The Salamanca Press
By Laura Howard
LITTLE VALLEY - The group working to convert 12.1 miles of abandoned rail line into recreation trail has submitted a grant application to the state and plans to begin its project with a Friendship Arch at the bottom of Main Street.
"The S.T.A.R.T. (Southern Tier Area Rails to Trails) Committee has just submitted its application for a $1.3 million grant in the form of TEA-21 money. the total cost for this project is $2.1 million. We expect to hear from the state early next year, but in the meantime we would like to continue with the momentum we have generated and start by erecting a Friendship Arch at the lower end of Main Street in the village of Little Valley. This will serve as the beginning of our demonstration project," said Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp.
S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee members are looking at artists renderings for the arch project and hope to select a design and begin work in the fall. The proposed site is in the vicinity of the former Gramco Building and Brook's Market. the committee is considering an elongated design that will appear as an arch from whatever direction it is viewed. The Project will symbolize the friendship of the communities along the trail and equality among trail users.
The rail will run from Salamanca to Cattaraugus, passing through Little Valley and New Albion along the former Erie rail line, which was most recently owned by the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency, which acquired it in 1980. the track was used for a short time by the New York and Lake Erie Railroad for an excursion train based in Gowanda.
In May, following a series of public hearings, the CCIDA accepted a proposal from CLDC to turn the line into a four-seasons trail to be used for walking, hiking, rollerblading, jogging, bicycling, snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides and snowmobiling.
In the spring, S.T.A.R.T. began looking for trail volunteers to help with conversion and maintenance of the trail.
S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee Chairman Brad Walters observed, "This has been an exceptional project. I have never seen a project move along as smoothly as this one has, at this point, because everyone has pulled together for a common goal. This project will benefit our county through increased tourism dollars, and public awareness as to what our county has to offer. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and of those who have contributed to its success."
LeFeber credited Steering committee members and county officials for the support the project has received so far.
" The Cattaraugus County Rail to Trail project has been on the fast track since its inception. A project of this magnitude usually takes seven years to complete. We expect it to be completed in two, but we could never have gotten this far and as fast we did the support and ireless efforts of our county legislators; Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism' the Development and Agriculture Committee, our Steering Committee, and all those who supported us through letters and other ways... Without their support this project might never have gotten off the ground," said LeFeber.
By Laura Howard
LITTLE VALLEY - The group working to convert 12.1 miles of abandoned rail line into recreation trail has submitted a grant application to the state and plans to begin its project with a Friendship Arch at the bottom of Main Street.
"The S.T.A.R.T. (Southern Tier Area Rails to Trails) Committee has just submitted its application for a $1.3 million grant in the form of TEA-21 money. the total cost for this project is $2.1 million. We expect to hear from the state early next year, but in the meantime we would like to continue with the momentum we have generated and start by erecting a Friendship Arch at the lower end of Main Street in the village of Little Valley. This will serve as the beginning of our demonstration project," said Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corp.
S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee members are looking at artists renderings for the arch project and hope to select a design and begin work in the fall. The proposed site is in the vicinity of the former Gramco Building and Brook's Market. the committee is considering an elongated design that will appear as an arch from whatever direction it is viewed. The Project will symbolize the friendship of the communities along the trail and equality among trail users.
The rail will run from Salamanca to Cattaraugus, passing through Little Valley and New Albion along the former Erie rail line, which was most recently owned by the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency, which acquired it in 1980. the track was used for a short time by the New York and Lake Erie Railroad for an excursion train based in Gowanda.
In May, following a series of public hearings, the CCIDA accepted a proposal from CLDC to turn the line into a four-seasons trail to be used for walking, hiking, rollerblading, jogging, bicycling, snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides and snowmobiling.
In the spring, S.T.A.R.T. began looking for trail volunteers to help with conversion and maintenance of the trail.
S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee Chairman Brad Walters observed, "This has been an exceptional project. I have never seen a project move along as smoothly as this one has, at this point, because everyone has pulled together for a common goal. This project will benefit our county through increased tourism dollars, and public awareness as to what our county has to offer. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and of those who have contributed to its success."
LeFeber credited Steering committee members and county officials for the support the project has received so far.
" The Cattaraugus County Rail to Trail project has been on the fast track since its inception. A project of this magnitude usually takes seven years to complete. We expect it to be completed in two, but we could never have gotten this far and as fast we did the support and ireless efforts of our county legislators; Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism' the Development and Agriculture Committee, our Steering Committee, and all those who supported us through letters and other ways... Without their support this project might never have gotten off the ground," said LeFeber.
Rails-to-Trails - Special-E-Fects
Rails-to-Trails, from the Friday, July 9, 1999 issue of Special-E-Fects
A Project of Great Magnitude Sure to Benefit Cattaraugus County.
"The Cattaraugus County Rail-to-Trail project has been on the fast track since its inception," stated Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corporation. "A project of this magnitude usually takes seven years to complete. We expect to be completed in two, but we could never have gotten this far and as fast as we did without the support and tireless efforts of our County Legislators, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Development and Agriculturally Committee, the Village of Little Valley, and our Steering Committee (Southern Tier Association for Rails to Trails( S.T.A.R.T.) and all those who supported us through letters and in other ways. I would like to personally thank Elliot Ellis, Jim Ellis, Jim Snyder, Jess Fitzpatric, Pat McCrea, Bonnie Bigelow, John Sayegh, Terry Martin, Brad Walters, Tammy Buchhardt and the rest of our Steering Committee. Without their support this project might never have gotten off the ground."
The S.T.A.R.T. Committee has just submitted its application for a $1.3 million grant in the form of TEA-21 money. The total cost for this project is $2.1 million. We expect to hear from the state early next year, but in the meantime we would like to continue with the momentum we have generated and start by erecting a Friendship Arch at the lower end of Main Street in the Village of Little Valley. This will serve as the beginning of our demonstration project," continued LeFeber.
Brad Walters, chairman of the S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee, added, "This has been an exceptional project. I have never seen a project move along as smoothly as this one has. I know for a fact that we are only here, at this point, because everyone has pulled together for a common goal. This project will benefit our country through increased tourism dollars, and public awareness as to what our county has to offer. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and of those who have contributed to its success.
A Project of Great Magnitude Sure to Benefit Cattaraugus County.
"The Cattaraugus County Rail-to-Trail project has been on the fast track since its inception," stated Rick LeFeber, executive director of the Cattaraugus Local Development Corporation. "A project of this magnitude usually takes seven years to complete. We expect to be completed in two, but we could never have gotten this far and as fast as we did without the support and tireless efforts of our County Legislators, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Development and Agriculturally Committee, the Village of Little Valley, and our Steering Committee (Southern Tier Association for Rails to Trails( S.T.A.R.T.) and all those who supported us through letters and in other ways. I would like to personally thank Elliot Ellis, Jim Ellis, Jim Snyder, Jess Fitzpatric, Pat McCrea, Bonnie Bigelow, John Sayegh, Terry Martin, Brad Walters, Tammy Buchhardt and the rest of our Steering Committee. Without their support this project might never have gotten off the ground."
The S.T.A.R.T. Committee has just submitted its application for a $1.3 million grant in the form of TEA-21 money. The total cost for this project is $2.1 million. We expect to hear from the state early next year, but in the meantime we would like to continue with the momentum we have generated and start by erecting a Friendship Arch at the lower end of Main Street in the Village of Little Valley. This will serve as the beginning of our demonstration project," continued LeFeber.
Brad Walters, chairman of the S.T.A.R.T. Steering Committee, added, "This has been an exceptional project. I have never seen a project move along as smoothly as this one has. I know for a fact that we are only here, at this point, because everyone has pulled together for a common goal. This project will benefit our country through increased tourism dollars, and public awareness as to what our county has to offer. I'm proud to have been a part of it, and of those who have contributed to its success.
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