What is the Genesee Valley Greenway? • An historic and natural resource corridor following the route of the former Genesee Valley Canal ( 1840-1878) and Pennsylvania Railroad , Rochester Branch, (1882-1963) • 90-mile multi-use trail History of the Corridor Transition to a Greenway Now a New York State Park Genesee Valley Canal, Mt. Morris (Note boat in canal) This image cannot currently be displayed. Genesee Valley Canal along Letchworth Gorge Canal, Towpath, & Original Portage Bridge Letchworth State Park c1870 Courtesy of Thomas S. Cook Canal Aqueduct at Portageville late 1850’s "Canalduct near Portage, Genesee Valley, N.Y" American Stereoscopic Co, Langenheim, Lloyd & Co Philadelphia Loading Bluestone onto canal boat Portage- ville A railroad was built upon the canal towpath in 1882. Note the canal prism on the right This image cannot currently be displayed. Penn RR Bridge over Genesee River – Mt. Morris Courtesy of Mt. Morris Historical Society In 1896, excursion trains ran on Sundays to Portage High Bridge from Rochester and Bradford, PA. Riders on the Greenway at the turn of the century. From Rochester to Scottsville The berme side of the canal was used as the Scottsville Bicycle Path from 1896 to ~1907. Celebrating the opening of the Scottsville Bicycle Path in 1896 1963 - RG&E purchased 80 miles of the corridor in Livingston, Wyoming & Allegany Counties Transition to a Greenway • 1967 – 78: OPRHP purchased ~260 acres of the corridor which were added to Letchworth State Park and included the Oakland Locks and lands at the northern park entrance. • 1984: OPRHP purchased 118 acres from Penn Central Corp., 10 miles of corridor in Monroe County, the first segment of the “Old Genesee Valley Canal Trail” • 1991: PTNY formed a Steering Committee of interested stakeholders and held town meetings along the corridor. • Local Committees in individual towns/villages obtained leases from RG&E to build Greenway trail. • 1992 -93: First 5 miles of GVG opened in the Village of Mt. Morris and Towns of Nunda & Portage • 1993: The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway (FOGVG), a 501(c)(3) NYS not for profit, type B Corporation was formed • 1994: Public-private partnership formed - NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) - NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) - Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway, Inc. (FOGVG) . 1997 – 2000: Partners worked with RG&E ro resolve encroachments and NYS took posession of the entire corridor in 2000 How was the Greenway developed and maintained? • DEC and OPRHP funds and personnel • Federal Transportation Enhancements Program funds awarded in 1994 & 2000 ($3.245 M – FOGVG as applicant) • Recreation Transportation Program Grant to FOGVG in 2007 & four in 2011 ( Mt. Morris Village in Livingston County, FLTC in Wyoming County, Town of Hume in Allegany County & NYS OPRHP) • Donations of land, labor and materials • FOGVG and Adopt a Trail Program What has been accomplished? • Acquisition of 80 miles of corridor in 2000, formerly owned by RG&E (Note: in 1984, OPRHP purchased 10 miles of the corridor in Monroe County) • ~ 67 miles of trail officially open Trail Adopters help with maintenance Henrietta Hill & Gully Trail Riders Snowmobile Club 2008 Bridges Installed This image cannot currently be displayed. Livingston County Allegany County NYSDOT Installing Greenway Bridge over Genesee River near Mt. Morris on former railroad abutments - June 2011 Mt. Morris Greenway Bridge June 2012 Caneadea Culvert Replacement – Allegany County - 2006 Fowlerville Culvert Monroe County - Repaired in 2007 Parking Lots Built with Signs by DEC Noyes Memorial Hospital Healthy Heart Program Grant Added 25 Benches Materials for Kiosk at York Landing, built as an Eagle Scout Project by Eric Welch in 2007 Signs have been installed to interpret the corridor’s rich history. Many more are needed. This image cannot currently be displayed. Greenway Goals • Public Recreation • Natural, historic, and cultural resource protection • Economic Development • Community Involvement • Connections Recreation in any season This image cannot currently be displayed. This image cannot currently be displayed. The Greenway – A Place for Training, Field Trips, Special Events Horses also Jog on the Greenway The Greenway A Place to: Snowmobile, In most locations Access Trout Streams Being Preserved: This image cannot currently be displayed. This image cannot currently be displayed. Canal Turning Basins Nearby Wetlands Man Made Rockville Lake - Water Source for the Canal Canal Locks This image cannot currently be displayed. Allegany County Monroe County Allegany County Livingston County Historic Black Creek Canal Culvert, Monroe County, reputed to be the largest in the state Economic Development: This image cannot currently be displayed. The Yard of Ale Canal House Inn has served travelers along the corridor since 1840. Greenway Cyclists Overnight at Inns in Livingston & Allegany Counties Community Involvement: Trail Adopters & Trail Work Volunteers Projects by Eagle Scouts, BOCES, & Service Clubs BOCES Students Eagle Scouts & Geneseo Kiwanis installed 30 mileposts Greenway Connections: Monroe County Lehigh Valley Trail Genesee Valley Park & Rochester Trails Finger Lakes Trail - Livingston & Wyoming Counties South from Rt. 251 - Mile 11 Picnic Area built on GVG as an Eagle Scout Ptoject South on Greenway Lehigh Valley Trail Junction ~ Mile 12.5 Photos by Bob Melville Views from the Greenway - Mile 53 TEP funded Cuba’s Landmark Connections to the Greenway in 2011 ~ 1 mile of Greenway in Cuba Opening of GVG in Cuba Oct. 2012 100’ Bridge built at Prospect St. 80’ Bridge over Griffith Creek Another Connection? Proposed Triple Divide Trail System Rochester to Williamsport, PA ~ 230 miles Using existing/planned Greenways & Trails The Genesee Valley Greenway State Park • The Greenway became a NYS Linear Park in 2011 with OPRHP assuming responsibility for trail previously under DEC • The Greenway Partners now consist of OPRHP and FOGVG • A 2006 Draft Management Plan was updated/modified, and the GVG Management Plan was completed in December 2013 FOGVG Greenway Wish List: • Completing Continuity of the Greenway by: – resolving property title objections and encroachments – acquiring property where needed – building new trail and bridges where breaks exist • Preserving Natural, Historic, & Cultural Resources by: – repairing and preserving historic stone culverts when possible – being sensitive to other canal/railroad features and the natural environment FOGVG Wish List continued • Increasing Trail Enhancements by: – building parking areas, pocket parks, and campsites – adding mileposts, interpretive signage, kiosks, benches, and bicycle racks – expanding use of volunteers (i.e. Trail Adopters, Boy Scouts, service organizations) • Connecting Greenway Trail to Olean, Allegany State Park & Triple Divide Trail • Obtaining funding for the above projects The Genesee Valley Greenway A Tunnel of Green .