Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced $6.4 million in grants from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, in addition to $4 million in state funding, which will support ongoing improvements to the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park and the Niagara Shoreline Trail in Western New York. The projects will help make key connections to the Empire State Trail. The not-for-profit Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, created after the 2014 death of Wilson, the former owner of the Buffalo Bills and a co-founder of the American Football League.
"This support from the Wilson Foundation, coupled with new state funding, will help repair, enhance and expand recreational opportunities on these multi-use paths in two beautiful parts of western New York, which Ralph Wilson loved so much," Governor Cuomo said. "His legacy will strengthen tourism, increase safety for bicyclists and hikers, and further revitalize communities that are better connected."
"As an avid bicyclist, I know how important this significant funding will be as we continue our efforts to improve connections to the Empire State Trail," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "We are fortunate that Ralph Wilson's spirit lives on through generous philanthropic efforts. In celebrating his legacy, we are grateful to the Foundation's commitment towards our regional trail systems. These investments will expand recreational opportunities, and boost the tourism industry and economy of Western New York."
Both the Genesee Valley and Niagara projects will also strengthen significant connections to the Empire State Trail, a statewide project announced in January 2017 by Governor Cuomo. Scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020, the Empire State Trail will be a continuous 750-mile route spanning the state from New York City to Canada and Buffalo to Albany, creating the longest multi-use state trail in the nation.
Plans for the Genesee Valley Greenway, a 90-mile former canal towpath and railway bed in Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties that has been a State Parks multi-use trail since 2011, call for $6.5 million in improvements.
Projects for the Genesee Valley Greenway being funded include:
- Complete resurfacing, infrastructure improvements and signage on 17 miles of trail from Rochester to the village of Avon in Livingston County.
- Disability access improvements at Greenway Bridge at Mt. Morris in Livingston County near Letchworth State Park.
- Partial resurfacing, as well as parking lot improvements, infrastructure and signage, between York Landing and the Abbey of the Genesee near the hamlet of Piffard in Livingston County.
- Creation of a strategic plan to identify further improvements along the rest of the Greenway, which passes through 16 towns in the five counties as it follows the corridor of the former Genesee Valley Canal and Pennsylvania Road.
- The Wilson Foundation is providing $2.5 million for the work, while State Parks is providing $2.5 million, and the New York State Transportation Department is providing $1.54 million.
The Greenway connects to the Empire State Trail at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester, and is used for snowmobiling, hiking, biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. The Wilson Foundation also has awarded an additional $2.5 million dependent on the state locating matching funds to be used to support further Greenway improvements identified in the strategic plan.
Administered by State Parks and the not-for-profit Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway, the Greenway trail runs from Rochester to Hinsdale in Cattagaugus County. Along the way, the Greenway passes the village of Cuba in Allegany County, a center of the state's dairy industry that once billed itself as the Cheese Capital of the World.
Near Buffalo, four projects totaling $4.1 million are planned for the Niagara Shoreline Trail, including:
- One mile of new trail south of the village of Lewiston.
- A study on how to close gaps in the shoreline trail from Lewistown to Lake Ontario, and to evaluate how to repair an impassable section of the Niagara Gorge Trail known as the Talus Slope.
- Creation of a public outreach effort on implementation of construction on additional new trail sections in Lewiston.
- The Niagara Shoreline Trail will connect to the Empire State Trail in Niagara Falls.
The Wilson Foundation is providing a grant of $1.4 million to support this work, with another $2.7 million provided by the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, State Department of Transportation, the New York Power Authority, the Niagara River Greenway and the town of Lewiston.
Assembly Member Joseph M. Giglio said, "I am happy that these Empire State Trail connections will be completed, and that both the Niagara Shoreline Trail and the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail will receive infrastructure and access improvements. The enhancements to these trails will benefit individuals and communities across Western New York. I commend the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation for their willingness to invest in the wellbeing of our communities throughout the region."
