In the past few days, residents of Mill Street and the north end of Third Street received letters from the Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) informing them that work was soon to begin on trails to connect Third Street with Mill Street and Charles Williams Park. The following is quoted from those letters:
In a few short weeks, CLC will be in your neighborhood, working with Tahawus Trails LP, a professional trail design and construction company, to create a new trail system in Hudson. These trails will connect North Third Street to Mill Street and beyond to the Empire State Trail.
Building this trail is the beginning of a three-phase project that also includes revitalizing Charles Williams Park and creating a trail connecting downtown Hudson to CLC's Greenport property and the thousands of acres nearby.
One of the recipients of the letter shared it with her councilmember, Rich Volo, who, in addition to representing the Fourth Ward on the Common Council, chairs the Conservation Advisory Council. Volo contacted Patrick Knapp, Director of Public Lands at CLC, seeking to learn more about the location of the trail and about possible loss of trees. Volo shared the information provided by Knapp with Gossips.
The plan is for two trails from North Third Street to Mill Street: a direct one that involves stairs and a longer one that involves switchbacks. The paths of both trails are shown on this map: the direct route in purple; the switchback route in orange.
Knapp indicated it was likely the only trees that might need to be removed are Norway Maple and Tree of Heaven, both of which are Tier 4 invasive species. He acknowledged this could change but offered the assurance, "CLC will aim to balance the site's recreational and ecological opportunities through this project."
In 2024, CLC acquired a large parcel of land in North Bay from the Hudson Industrial Development Agency, the area outlined in black on this map.
CLC plans to build trails on the land to connect Charles Williams Park with the Greenport Conservation Area and the network of trails that go all the way north to Harrier Hill.
CLC has also taken over the renovation of Charles Williams Park, and, in December 2025, CLC was awarded $675,000 for that purpose in New York State's Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK
This was covered in Mayor Ferris’ Hudson Weekly Newsletter last week.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the proposed paddle board courts and outdoor bathroom that was planned on that street without the input of residents?
Every week something falls from the sky… and our 18 elected and paid leaders are not the first to find out, or let us know. Good on Volo for getting the facts.