ELDRED, NY — The state has denied an application to build a shared roadway and bike lane on NYS Route 97 between Barryville and the Roebling Bridge.

The Highland town supervisor, John Pizzolato, said he isn’t crazy about the project, which he said would affect 62 private driveways along that stretch of road. “It just doesn’t make sense for our community,” he said at the town board’s August 13 meeting.

He also said he has “serious concerns about the motivations behind the project,” which was championed by the previous town board and former supervisor.

The Transportation Assistance Program (TAP) grant is a competitive program that uses federal transportation funds to support projects like walkways, bicycle lanes and scenic byways. The NYS Department of Transportation, if it had approved the application, would have given Highland $5 million in TAP funds, which the town would have been obliged to match with $1 million of its own.

The application was submitted by the previous supervisor, Jeff Haas, who chaired the grants committee. The town agreed to pay a non-refundable application fee of $12,500, which includes payment to Laberge Group Engineering, writer of the application.

The previous board put $7,000 of that amount in the 2024 budget because the 2023 budget could not cover the full amount, Pizzolato said.

He said the town board will try to get Laberge to lower its price, seeing that its application failed.

“I think the consulting agency should take some responsibility so that our town is not billed $12,500 for a grant we did not receive,” Pizzolato said.

Typically, grant writers are paid based on the work they do, not on the success of the applications they write. (see sidebar for more information.)

Pizzolato questioned the previous board’s decision to spend so much money applying for a project with so little feasibility.

Money’s coming in

One grant may not have been successful, but Highland is getting others, it was announced at the meeting:

• $10,000 from the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)—Pizzolato said the money will be spent on environmentally friendly vents or heat pump compressors at town hall.
• $50,000 from the NYS Office of Family Services—State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (D-100) secured the money for meals/kitchens coordinated with Hudson Valley Gives. The town board will discuss the specifics, including requests for proposals, at their next meeting. The audience applauded the announcement.
• $200,000 from CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program)—Highway superintendent Joe Barnes announced that he was able to secure the funding and his intention to get an additional $85,000.

In other business

• Parking fine—The Highland Town Board unanimously approved a $50 parking fine for the end of the green path at the river beach. Parking is not allowed beyond the cul de sac—but what if the cul de sac is full? a member of the public asked. Supervisor Pizzolato said parking was allowed on State Route 97 and the eagle observation site, but that the people who live in the area say it’s unsafe. The town wants to discourage unsafe parking, he said.
• Medical facility—Pizzolato said Chris Dickey, a New York University professor who lives in town, will give a presentation about bringing some type of medical facility to town. “The goal right now is to provide a catch-all clinic, pharmacy, and lab and diagnostics center,” Pizzolato said.