The sun was shining, spirits were bright, and County Executive Jen Metzger was on hand for the ribbon cutting for a 5.3 mile sections of rail trail, Accord to Ellenville. She introduced herself as a trail enthusiast and said she used to “basically live on the Wallkill Valley trail, by Rosendale, was on it every day.”

She said this trail was part of a commitment to "enhancing the county’s world-class trail network in all corners of the county, providing recreational and non-motorized transportation opportunities for residents of all abilities, and bringing more visitors to our Main Streets.”

The Open Space Institute (OSI), who spearheaded this project, plan to eventually link up an entire network of trails to allow people to bicycle from Kingston down to Port Jervis, or up to Woodstock. Cross connections to the Wallkill Valley trail are also being considered. The ultimate aim would provide Ulster County with a world-class amenity for locals and tourists worth billions over the years.

But according to Metzger, it's more than just an amenity. It's a valuable connection for the 17% of the people in Kingston that don’t have a car and 18% of those in Ellenville in the same boat.

Also at the gathering in Rochester’s town park were the CEO of OSI, Erik Kulleseid, as well as Bob Anderberg, Senior Vice President of OSI, local resident and long time stalwart of OSI’s land purchasing operation. With them were Erin Enouen, the new town supervisor for Rochester, Terry Houck, supervisor of Wawarsing, Evan Trent, mayor of Ellenville, and Chris Hewitt and John Collins, county legislators.

Erik Kulleseid spoke next, and gave thanks to many of those in the crowd for the hard work involved in turning an old, abandoned spur of the Ontario & Western Railroad, which ceased operations in 1957 due to the decline of coal in New York, into a vibrant, enticing “greenway” for everyone in the Rondout Valley.

A crowd of young children were gathered to watch the grown ups talk, though they seemed more interested in the playground and the trail itself. After remarks from Erin Enouen, Terry Houck, and Evan Trent it was time to wield the big scissors and officially open the rail trail between Accord and Ellenville.