by Thaddeus Flint
A GoFundMe campaign by the Corkscrew Rail Trail Association (CRTA) is off and running as the organization continues to pursue a derelict property in New Lebanon in hopes of adding yet another section to the 2.5 mile path.
The CRTA believed they had secured a great deal months back, when Columbia County offered the group the possibility of buying a 3.14 acre plot at 16 Lovers Lane that nobody had paid much attention to until the County offered the group the land. Things seemed to be moving along swimmingly until local government got involved and the whole thing went off the rails.
“The local Town Board killed a chance for us to build our rail trail, so we’re asking for your help to make the trail happen,” is how the CRTA describes what happened to their plan on their GoFundMe page. While the Town Board did kill the deal, not everyone on the Board was part of that killing. Town Supervisor Colleen Teal and Councilman Norman Rasmussen have supported the deal since day one. And they supported it and supported it and supported it, along with what seemed to be a majority of residents who took the time—time after time after time—to support it as well. However three Board members, Mark Baumli, Jesse Newton, and Kevin Smith were of the opinion that the County shouldn’t be deciding who gets the land even if it is their land, and that the parcel should be returned to a public auction so everyone has a fair shot at it.
“Residents of New Lebanon…showed up and cheered for the plan in record numbers, both in a town meeting and in a public forum. They called, wrote and emailed their majority support in a way never before seen in the town,” writes the CRTA. However the three dissenters were not dissuaded and the Board voted three to two to tell the County it should go back to auction.
“This is an opportunity for those people to take concrete action to express that support,” said CRTA member Bruce Shenker on August 31.
Shenker added that a little over $2,000 has been raised in less than a week. The goal is $10,000. “We are hopeful this wonderful support will continue,” he said.
Will it be enough? Nobody knows. It is debatable whether or not the site, which straddles a wetland, is buildable. Offers would probably reflect that uncertainty. The County is also keeping the date of the auction–if they even have one yet–to themselves for the time being. The CRTA believes it will take place “sometime in the fall.” Columbia County uses a sealed bid type of auction with the highest bidder getting the property. As a result the CRTA could end up bidding way over any other bids in hopes of securing the sale, which they had originally arranged for $500.
Further information on the GoFundMe campaign can be found at www.gofundme.com/m4um5-support-the-corkscrew-rail-trail. Further information on the CRTA can be found at www.corkscrewrailtrail.org .