Dear Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson residents,
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR HIKERS:
The Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson will be conducting an “oil and chip” repair to the roadway that leads off of Bayview Avenue to the Donahue Farm Property on Monday, July 1, 2024. This roadway is the ingress/egress to the Esty & Hellie Stowell Trailhead at Storm King and is overseen by Scenic Hudson. The Village’s plan to improve the roadway to the parking lot at the trailhead have been signed off on by Scenic Hudson. Why are we doing this? Because the Donahue Farm Property is owned by the Village and we are required to maintain it. Having our DPW equipment remove snow and maintain access to the trailhead puts a severe beating and wear-and-tear on our fleet of vehicles. By utilizing “oil and chip” treatment – or commonly referred to as “chip seal” or “bituminous seal coat” – the existing roadway is covered with “a layer of oil and stone that seals blacktop and provides a wearable surface at a fraction of the cost of resurfacing.” Ergo, Monday – the roadway to the trailhead will be CLOSED. You can walk in to gain access to our hiking trails. But the roadway will not reopen until Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
If you have been to the farm property of recent, you’ll also notice that the Village – in concert with Scenic Hudson and our very own volunteer-led Donahue Committee – recently razed the kennel building. This is part of our improvements and beautification efforts and tied to the recent awarding of project monies from the NY Forward grant. We worked around some mature growth trees and will restore landscape to nature until the Donahue Committee puts forth a plan to erect a structure in the kennel’s footprint that supports our long-term property improvement goals.
Make sure to swing by the Hudson Highland Nature Museum’s Wildlife Education Campus (WEC) on the Boulevard. The Village was able to assist in repaving the parking lot last Fall, improving drainage issues in the process, and recently had a local business (Foley Landscaping Contractors) construct a new paver walkway and repair the steps leading into the WEC.
I have nine months and four days left in office. I will make the most out of every moment left. With a multitude of FEMA and USDA storms-related projects to proctor and oversee, as well as stewarding the NY Forward projects through engineering and design assessments and bids and contracts, there is a lot left to handle. Make no mistake about it – this Village Board is up to the daunting tasks ahead. Buckle up. Trust me -- you’re going to like what you see in the Village.
On behalf of your Village Board,
James A. “Jimmy” Gagliano
Mayor