By Kevin O’Connor
Staff Writer | January 08,2014
Staff Writer | January 08,2014
Rutland Herald
LUDLOW — When municipal leaders first
proposed a 3.5-mile bike and pedestrian path for this ski town of 1,963
people, they figured its estimated $2.68 million price tag might prove
too steep a fiscal incline. But a surprise push from a local fundraising
group suddenly has them pedaling forward.
Engineers last month unveiled a plan for a paved trail to run along the state’s busy east-west Route 103 from the town’s park-and-ride lot — just north of the fire station in the central business district — then eventually moving to side roads that lead to the Jackson Gore and Buttermilk Falls mountain recreation areas.
The good news: If the town applied for and received a Vermont Agency of Transportation bicycle and pedestrian program grant, the state would pay 90 percent. The bad news: That still would require the community to pick up the remaining $268,500.
Enter Okemo Community Challenge, a local fundraising group that has offered to donate $40,000 annually in each of the next three years.
“We believe that the bike path is a great recreational amenity and health benefit for our residents and visitors,” Diane Mueller, a Challenge coordinator and Okemo Mountain Resort co-owner, has written the town Select Board. “We also believe it will have a positive impact on the local economy.”
So much so, “it is also our intent to donate more,” the group adds, “should we have dollars we can allocate towards this project.”
A $120,000 contribution would cut the local share to less than $150,000 — a figure the Select Board is considering raising by asking voters for $20,000 or $25,000 annually throughout the next several years.
“I was overwhelmed when I got the letter,” Municipal Manager Frank Heald told the board at its monthly meeting Monday night. “That certainly changes the dynamic of the money we might have to raise.”
A “scoping study report” just completed by Dufresne Group Consulting Engineers of Vermont shows the proposed route — at least 10-feet wide, protected by guardrails and mostly confined to current rights-of-way — could be completed without major problems.
But it would require time and money. According to a proposed schedule, the town would work the next year on funding, then at least three more on construction permitting and preparation before breaking ground in 2018.
Local leaders now must decide whether to apply for financial aid, commission a final design and ask contractors to bid on the project. The Select Board has voiced support for applying for a state grant but has yet to vote officially, as applications aren’t due until July.
The Challenge, for its part, will start raising money at its annual “Flannel with Flair” dinner and dance set for Jan. 25 at Okemo’s Jackson Gore Roundhouse.
kevin.oconnor@rutlandherald.com
Engineers last month unveiled a plan for a paved trail to run along the state’s busy east-west Route 103 from the town’s park-and-ride lot — just north of the fire station in the central business district — then eventually moving to side roads that lead to the Jackson Gore and Buttermilk Falls mountain recreation areas.
The good news: If the town applied for and received a Vermont Agency of Transportation bicycle and pedestrian program grant, the state would pay 90 percent. The bad news: That still would require the community to pick up the remaining $268,500.
Enter Okemo Community Challenge, a local fundraising group that has offered to donate $40,000 annually in each of the next three years.
“We believe that the bike path is a great recreational amenity and health benefit for our residents and visitors,” Diane Mueller, a Challenge coordinator and Okemo Mountain Resort co-owner, has written the town Select Board. “We also believe it will have a positive impact on the local economy.”
So much so, “it is also our intent to donate more,” the group adds, “should we have dollars we can allocate towards this project.”
A $120,000 contribution would cut the local share to less than $150,000 — a figure the Select Board is considering raising by asking voters for $20,000 or $25,000 annually throughout the next several years.
“I was overwhelmed when I got the letter,” Municipal Manager Frank Heald told the board at its monthly meeting Monday night. “That certainly changes the dynamic of the money we might have to raise.”
A “scoping study report” just completed by Dufresne Group Consulting Engineers of Vermont shows the proposed route — at least 10-feet wide, protected by guardrails and mostly confined to current rights-of-way — could be completed without major problems.
But it would require time and money. According to a proposed schedule, the town would work the next year on funding, then at least three more on construction permitting and preparation before breaking ground in 2018.
Local leaders now must decide whether to apply for financial aid, commission a final design and ask contractors to bid on the project. The Select Board has voiced support for applying for a state grant but has yet to vote officially, as applications aren’t due until July.
The Challenge, for its part, will start raising money at its annual “Flannel with Flair” dinner and dance set for Jan. 25 at Okemo’s Jackson Gore Roundhouse.
kevin.oconnor@rutlandherald.com
Comment: Gee, I wonder why we can't get some Killington people and businesses that are clamoring for beautification, sidewalks and so on to pony up some cash like in Ludlow. In Killington it seems like the taxpayers are expected to pick up the tab.
Vito
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