About 10 or so years ago, with the county's rail trail network in a growth spurt, there was a lot of bad juju going around over who got to use what. In the tussle between railroad enthusiasts and the hiking community, a key portion of the system was left incomplete; decisions on its fate became the can kicked down the road. Tomorrow night, the County Legislature may reopen that can.

Prompted largely by the Catskill Mountain Railroad's March receipt of a $4.5 million state grant for equipment and facilities projects, the legislature will vote on Resolution 241: the reconstitution of the Ulster & Delaware Corridor Advisory Committee, which oversees 38.6 miles of former track and rights-of-way purchased by the county in 1979. Only a portion of it is currently in use.

The advisory committee suspended work in 2015, having decided on a segmented approach to the corridor that included rail-only segments, trail-only segments, and rail-with-trail segments. The committee made no decision about a segment of almost two miles that could extend the railroad to the Ashokan Trail from its current northern terminus in Stony Hollow near Route 28.

The committee set that missing link's fate aside for another day, noting it “requires further investigation” and “shall be the last segment to be altered or converted on the east side of the Ashokan provided that trail connectivity co-located on the corridor shall be preserved.”

Nevertheless, CMRR's plans for the state grant money include using $667,000 to extend its tracks through the link. That's something the railroad has long sought to do, and it has put together an elaborate presentation outlining the plan and arguing for its necessity, touting its potential economic and recreational bounty.

To accommodate its plans, CMRR has proposed new language for the county's existing rail trail policy “to include an increased available railroad segment, co-located with a 10-foot-wide bicycle-capable trail.”

Trail advocates too remain desirous of the link. Ulster County Trails Advisory Committee Chair Kevin Smith describes it as a linchpin of a complete “west of Hudson greenways vision” in which Ulster's trails “play a major role.”

Problem is, the missing link's suitability for both rail and trail is in question. A 2015 study by Stone Consulting, commissioned by the county, described a “fatal flaw” in joint use: that “due to the stability, slope, and construction of the existing fill” it would cause “significant erosion into the wetlands below.”

But things have changed, CMRR now says, in a web document:

"...since publishing its report in 2015, Stone Consulting has indicated that the feasibility problem of Rail with Trail on the Stony Hollow fill has been resolved by using a parallel boardwalk as the body of practice for Rail-with-Trail has grown.”

Trails chair Kevin Smith reviewed the railroad's claim of support from Stone Consulting but declined to address it directly.

“Mr. Hunt & CMRR are bringing one perspective to the table," he said. "Not everyone agrees with Mr Hunt's perspective," Smith told Kingston Wire. "The purpose of Resolution 241 is to provide an opportunity and a defined process for all of the stakeholders' and their perspectives to come to the table. We’ve been advocating for it for some time now, and we appreciate the Legislature and Chair Criswell acting to establish it.”

A number of county officials told Kingston Wire they were blindsided by news of the railroad's windfall.

“I was certainly surprised to see a grant was awarded to them for a property that they don't own,” said Legislator Abe Uchitelle (D-Kingston). “Typically, the state would check in with the property owner about awarding a grant like that. And for whatever reason, the process seemed to break down at the state level ... You know, even if the county executive wants to apply for grants, the legislature has to approve it so that the Catskill Mountain Railroad sought this grant without asking us ahead of time is kind of perplexing.”

Legislator Kathy Nolan (D-Shandaken) put it more bluntly, calling the railroad's grant maneuver “unimaginable ... Not one person in county government was aware, to the best of my knowledge. Neither have we seen the grant application.”

Railroad CEO Ernie Hunt disputes that, telling Kingston Wire he had notified the county executive's office about the railroad's state grant application last September. We have asked the executive for comment but have not heard back as of Monday afternoon.

That two of Ulster's signature amenities, the trails system and the CMRR, are at loggerheads could be seen as an aspect of the county's culture war between native born Ulsterites and Noo Yawk urban expats, the former celebrating glory days past, the latter hiking and biking in pursuit of wellness and personal growth. But those involved say they are determined to put the bad old days behind and work together for the good of all.

“I think the goal of rail and trail together are something that many in the community share,” said Uchitelle. “It's a question of feasibility and that's what we'll be looking into.”

“This is exactly what the process is supposed to be,” CMRR's Hunt said. “I'm very glad they've actually got something in front of the legislature on this.”

But Nolan offered a cautionary note. “It's premature to say how this will go,” she said. “I hope for a respectful process in which everyone learns what the possibilities are. In the end, some hard decisions may have to be made.”