AMSTERDAM COMMUNITY INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN TWO-PART TRAIL TOWN WORKSHOP SERIES

A community placemaking workshop on evening of June 17 and Bike Around assessment workshop on morning of June 18 will give Amsterdam the opportunity to weigh in on Trail Town process.

ALBANY, NY – The City of Amsterdam was recently selected as an Empire State Trail Town by Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) and the NYS Canal Corporation. As a “Trail Town,” Amsterdam is in a unique position to benefit from its location along the Erie Canalway Trail/Empire State Trail. The purpose of the Trail Town program is to identify  strategies that Amsterdam can use to provide residents and visitors with a quality experience along the trail and within the community, and promote the city as a top-tier destination for visiting cyclists.

First workshop at Amsterdam City Hall on Monday, June 17, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

The first workshop will be held at Amsterdam City Hall on Monday, June 17 from 6-7:30pm and will give participants the opportunity to learn about the Trail Town program, share thoughts on what makes Amsterdam a great destination for visiting cyclists along the Erie Canalway Trail, and contribute ideas about ways the trail experience might be improved. The workshop will begin with a brief introduction to the Trail Town program, what it means for Amsterdam, and insights surfaced from the Trail Town Self-Assessment, previously completed by the Amsterdam Trail Town Steering Committee. After an overview of case studies from successful Trail Towns, PTNY staff will provide an opportunity for community members to engage in an interactive mapping exercise to identify Amsterdam’s strengths and opportunities as a Trail Town.

Second workshop is a participatory Bike Around assessment on Tuesday, June 18 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The second workshop will consist of a participatory Bike Around assessment, to take place the following morning on Tuesday, June 18 from 9:30am-11:30am. The Bike Around will build on the previous evening’s insights, and will consist of an easy-paced bike ride with local leaders, committee members, and other stakeholders. The group will ride part of the trail through the community and stop and talk about challenges and opportunities along the way. The ride will provide participants with the opportunity to see the community through a trail user’s eyes and help identify gaps in infrastructure and the potential of the area to be a destination for trail users.

Participants should meet at the end of Bridge Street at the entrance to the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook Pedestrian Bridge. The bike ride will travel city streets and trails (no more than ten miles) and regroup at 11:30 for lunch and a debrief.

About Parks & Trails New York

Parks & Trails New York is the state’s leading advocate for parks and trails. Since 1998, PTNY has been working in partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation to help canal communities plan, develop and promote the Canalway Trail. PTNY organizes Cycle the Erie Canal, an eight-day bicycle tour along the historic Erie Canal that attracts more than 650 participants each year. The organization also publishes the popular guidebook, Cycling the Erie Canal: A Guide to 360 miles of Adventure and History along the Erie Canalway Trail. Learn more at www.ptny.org.

About the New York State Canal System

The New York State Canal Corporation runs the New York State Canal System, which includes the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals. Spanning 524 miles, the waterway links the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. In 2017, the Canal Corporation celebrated the 200th anniversary of the groundbreaking for the Erie Canal, which occurred in the city of Rome on July 4, 1817. The Canal System includes the Canalway Trail, a network of approximately 400 miles of multi-use trails across upstate New York. The Canalway Trail follows the towpaths of both active and historic sections of the New York State Canal System as well as adjacent abandoned rail corridors. Together, the canals and trail create a world-class recreationway that is a vibrant, scenic, and unique New York resource. To learn more about the New York State Canal and Canalway Trail System or to obtain a free map, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit the Canal Corporation’s website at www.canals.ny.gov.