Black Diamond Trail

BDT Construction Will Require Cooperative Efforts

On January 22, 2009, several private citizens who are members of BDTEN (Black Diamond Trail Enthusiasts Network) met with Finger Lakes Parks officials and municipal government representatives to explore collaborative efforts to construct the first phase of the Black Diamond Trail. Those in attendance were:

Tim Joseph (FL Parks Regional Director)
Jeff McDonald (FL Parks Capital Facilities Manager)
Herb Engman (Town of Ithaca Supervisor)
Liz Thomas (Town of Ulysses Board Member)
Fernando deAragon (Director of Ithaca-Tompkins Transportation Council)
Bill Goodman (Town of Ithaca Board Member)
Rick Manning (Waterfront Trail, BDTEN)
Marvin Pritts (Cayuga Nature Center Board VP, BDTEN)
Vikki Armstrong (BDTEN)
Ashley Miller (BDTEN)
Gene Endres (BDTEN)
Krys Cail (BDTEN)
Jan Zeserson (BDTEN)

In brief, among the vital issues raised were the following:

* McDonald reported that there now exists a Design Report for the two bridges. (A Design Report is a prelude to the actual construction drawings.) No design work has been done on the trail itself. All available $$ went into the design report for the bridges.

* FL Parks will consider completing and opening a section at a time from Cass Park north (several miles where no bridges are needed), a piecemeal approach with construction help from Towns of Ithaca and Ulysses. Substantial culvert work is needed; Parks is in the process of doing a culvert inventory.

* FL Parks will explore possible collaboration possibilities with the Cornell University Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on design and construction. ASCE students have constructed other bridges in our county.

* It is conceivable that the BDT project may receive federal transportation enhancement funds in the next funding cycle, although when and how these funds will be appropriated is still up in the air.

This report submitted by Jan Z.