Black Diamond Trail

Buldozers!

Suiting actions to words, buldozers and other heavy machinery along with a team of workers have descended upon Glenwood Creek to build a new bridge for the Black Diamond Trail! Beginning even before the official announcements made it known to the world, work has begun to connect the Ithaca end of the trail to the next section extending north to Willow Creek.  The progress after so many years of anticipation has caused a lot of excitement and enthusiasm — at last this  beautiful corridor to Ithaca’s north will become available for everyday use.

Early this week the official announcements were made regarding work on the trail. It seems that the second required bridge has already been planned and put out for bids and that both bridges might actually be completed by early next year. The surfacing of the path is another matter — it makes sense to put a good finish on the trail only once all the culverts and other drainage problems have been resolved. This work has begun to some extent on the southern end of the trail near Ithaca. Perhaps the final surfacing will be applied to those sections first. Completion of the whole trail is still  several years off — but at least this future is foreseeable, unlike the last forty years of the trail’s history.

Moving forward

The Ithaca Journal’s May 2 “County Watch” (http://tinyurl.com/85pmw46) includes these bits regarding the BDT:

Construction bidding on the second Black Diamond Trail bridge ended Wednesday. The apparent low bidder for the Willow Creek bridge is Silverline Construction from Burdett, with a bid of $392,718; state regulators still need to approve the bid package. The bridge is to have a concrete deck with timber rails.

Construction on Glenwood Creek bridge, the other half of the trail bridges project, began about two weeks ago with a winning bid of $486,000 from R DeVincentis Construction from Binghamton. The bridge, also with a concrete deck and timber rails, is scheduled for completion in October.

Funding for the projects came from the state and a private bequest.

May 15 Publicity Event Details

From: Tim Joseph, April 30, 2012

In order to accommodate the schedules of various people who should be part of this event, we are planning that it will consist of a report by Commissioner Rose Harvey to the Policy Committee of the Ithaca/Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC) to be held at 2:00 on May 15th at the Ithaca Town Hall, 215 N. Tioga St., in Ithaca.  Public and press are invited.

We will miss the visual impact of doing something on the trail itself, but then, we’ll also avoid the danger of bad weather.

Tim Joseph, Regional Director, Finger Lakes State Parks

Milestone event

From Tim Joseph:

On May 15, Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey is planning a publicity event around the funding and construction of the bridges on the Black Diamond Trail. Construction will begin on the Glenwood Creek bridge next Monday so there should be ongoing work by May 15 and this will likely be the site of the event. Gov. Cuomo will be credited with providing funding for the bridges, but we also plan to feature the cooperation and assistance that we have received and expect to receive from the Town of Ulysses, Town of Ithaca, City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County in construction of the trail proper.

We will highlight the intergovernmental cooperation that is finally bringing to fruition this long anticipated project. I would appreciate it if each municipality could give me a designated spokesperson to represent them at this event. Further details will be provided as they are developed.

Tim Joseph
Regional Director, Finger Lakes State Parks

Progress on the South End

6 April 2012

MORE GOOD NEWS:

The Town of Ithaca Public Works Dept. just spent two weeks in March working on both sides of the entry road from the hospital. Town Supervisor Herb Engman said that at least 5 culverts were replaced and many others cleaned to improve drainage. The trail link to the hospital is now passable. Take a look and admire: walk south from the Glenwood Heights Road entry point for about 30 minutes–about 2 miles.

-Jan

BDT Bridges Fully Funded!

This exciting news just announced–See message below from Tim Joseph, Regional Director of FL Parks:

5 April 2012

I am finally able to announce that the bridges on the Black Diamond Trail have been funded!

Last fall we received a bequest from the Treman family of $231,000 which we earmarked for these bridges, or perhaps I should say for part of one of them.  Governor Cuomo’s NY Works Initiative, which was just passed by the legislature as part of the budget, allocated an additional $969,000 for a total of $1.2 million.

That covers the full cost of constructing these two bridges.  The Glenwood Creek bridge has already been bid and awarded.  The Willow Creek bridge will be bid soon.

Once those bridges are in place, this entire segment of the trail will be walkable.  The assistance of several local governments has made possible some significant progress on the trail itself.  There is still much to do, but we’re getting there.

Tim Joseph

Regional Director, Finger Lakes State Parks

2221 Taughannock Park Rd.

Trumansburg, NY 14886

607-387-7041

FAX: 607-387-3390

tim.joseph@parks.ny.gov

Caution: Surface gravel dangerous to bikes

BDT south of Glenwood Heights Rd, near the hospital--dangerous gravel for bikes

20 Dec 2011

This warning just in from Jeff:

The most dangerous stretch of the BDT is between Cass and the hospital (the section that I use frequently).  Heading north, it begins when the BDT intersects the power cut that runs up to the Museum of the Earth, http://g.co/maps/rggbq, and goes for a few hundred feet.  The issue is gravel — at some point someone dumped oversize (3″) gravel there and we almost spill on our bikes every time.  It’s real hard to negotiate and would be easy for someone to wipe out.  In this photo, the danger is concealed under leaves.  From the woods entrance it stretches for a few hundred feet.

This could be a manageable volunteer project in spring:  rake the large gravel off to the margin, unless there is a plan by the authorities to lay crush-and-run or similar path stone.

Jeff

Take a Holiday Hike!

19 Dec 2011

Hi BDTEN,

Looking for a exhilarating holiday walk?

Come admire the marvelous work of a crew of a dozen volunteers who cleared the Black Diamond Trail from Kraft Road to Willow Creek Road yesterday…and admire the new culverts installed by the Town of Ulysses last month. You’ll find access easily from Agard, near mailbox #1342. Walk either way from Agard — south to Kraft Rd. or north to Willow Creek.

John VanValen, Park Manager, stopped by yesterday to thank us citizen-workers and to collect volunteer forms. Good news–John expects to have enough crew to keep this stretch of trail mowed.

Optional but highly recommended: Come with a pair of clippers on your belt to fine-tune yesterday’s work as you walk.

Warning: A hunter stopped by to remind us to wear ORANGE because there is regular hunting on this section. Bow and muzzleloading season is open until Dec. 21.

More good news: A couple of yesterday’s workers reported meeting a Parks crew doing culvert work on the BDT between Cass Park and Glenwood Heights Rd.

Things are looking up for the BDT!

Jan

p.s. If you continue from Willowcreek Rd. north, be on the look-out for some serious wet spots.

Work Day 18 Dec 2011

12 Dec 2011

Hi BDTEN,

Our Work Day a couple weeks ago was so satisfying we’re eager to go back for more clearing this Sunday, Dec. 18, at 1:00.
See a few pics of the workers and the new culverts at our website — http://blackdiamondtrail.org (Thanks to Andrejs!)

We BDTENers and a group from Ithaca College have now cleared a path through the whole stretch of BDT between Agard Rd and Kraft Rd EXCEPT several hundred yards of very dense honeysuckle and small trees.
The goal on Sunday will be to make a path through that section AND to widen the trail on either side of that dense section. A dozen of us could make swift work of it. Come on Sunday between 1:00 – sunset with any tools you have on hand — scythe, clippers, spade, pick axe, bow saw — we’ll be in business! (If you’ve never seen a honeysuckle extraction gizmo at work, that alone is worth the trip.)

I’ve attached a Parks Volunteer Form in case you haven’t signed one in the past year. They are good for a year.
Fill it out, sign it, and either:
1) post it to John VanValen at the address below:
John VanValen, Park Manager
Taughannock Falls State Park
2221 Taughannock Park Road
Trumansburg, NY 14886

2) fax it to John VanValen at Fax#387-9235;

3) bring it with you on Sunday; John plans to be there about 1:00, if possible.

Hoping to see you on Sunday,
Jan

Forward motion

The BDT north from Agard Rd.

After lots of planning and negotiation behind the scenes, the Town of Ulysses has stepped forward and created easy access to the Black Diamond Trail at Agard Road — a major step forward in the development of the trail. The trail at this point was separated from the road by a deep ditch on both sides of the road. This made it impossible to get machinery on the trail to clear brush or even to pick up brush cleared by volunteers. Last April, when we had a big trail-clearing party there, it was difficult to cross the ditch and scramble up the other side carrying tools. The new culverts and paving make a luxurious access point for people as well as machines. Thanks, Ulysses! And, thanks, State Parks! for continuing with the project. Today, Sunday, was such a beautiful day that several BDT Enthusiasts couldn’t resist getting out on the trail — bringing tools to get it a bit more ready for winter use. Read the rest of this entry »