Cold Spring to Sue Fjord Trail

Says environmental concerns not addressed
The Cold Spring Village Board on Wednesday (April 8) unanimously voted to sue Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. and state parks, saying the environmental review of the 7.5-mile trail to Beacon was inadequate.
The village alleges that the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement, released in January, failed to comply with the requirements of the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. It states that the FGEIS didn't address significant concerns identified by the Village Board, including "analysis of environmental impacts, infrastructure demands, traffic, parking, public safety and consistency with local land use controls."
HHFT is the sponsor of the project and state parks is the lead agency. The resolution, which passed 5-0, authorized village attorney John Furst to begin legal action.
Mayor Kathleen Foley said the board has until May 7 to contest the FGEIS. "If we don't do this, we are remiss in our fiduciary responsibilities to the village, given the long-term costs," she said. "We are up against a very well-funded organization and a state agency, but we need to have sovereignty and to have say over our own waterfront."
Dockside Park in Cold Spring, which is owned by the state but managed by the village, is HHFT's preferred southern gateway for the trail.
The resolution states that if the Town of Philipstown initiates a similar legal challenge, the municipalities will file a joint lawsuit, with Philipstown taking the lead. The agenda for the Thursday (April 9) meeting of the Town Board included "discussion regarding a response from the town to the Fjord Trail FEIS."
The lawsuit will be filed in state court in Carmel under Article 78 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules, which enables municipalities and others to challenge the actions or inactions of the state, local government agencies and public bodies.