The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) will be holding a public information meeting regarding improvements to a 6-mile section of the Empire State Trail along Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, running from Canastota to Chittenango. The Park is part of the larger Erie Canalway Trail that stretches from Buffalo to Albany. This project is funded through Governor Cuomo’s Empire State Trail initiative, which will create a 750-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail linking Buffalo to Albany and New York City to Canada. Once completed the Empire State Trail will be the largest multi-use trail in the nation.

State Parks encourages the community to provide input at this meeting, welcoming comments on all aspects of the project, but the focus will be whether the trail should be resurfaced with stonedust or paved with asphalt.

The meeting will be held at the Canastota Public Library, 102 West Center Street, Canastota, NY 13032 on Thursday, April 27, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

State Parks staff will make a brief presentation concerning the existing trail, the resurfacing options being considered and will be available to answer questions and receive public comments.

All persons interested in the Empire State Trail are urged to attend; those who cannot may submit written comments by May 11, 2017 to:

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

625 Broadway

Albany NY, 12238

Attention: Mark Hohengasser – Park Planner

ErieCanal.Plans@parks.ny.gov 

The meeting is accessible to people with language differences and/or disabilities. A person who needs an interpretive or disability-related accommodation or modification in order to participate in the meeting may make a request by contacting Mark Hohengasser at 518-486-2909 or sending a written request to ErieCanal.Plan@parks.ny.gov . Providing your request at least five (5) business days before the meeting will help ensure availability of the requested accommodation.

For additional information and directions to the meeting, contact the park office at: (315) 492-1756. For more information about New York State Parks, please visit our Web site at www.nysparks.com