Attendance

NAME	REPRESENTING (as appropriate) & ADDRESS	TELEPHONE NUMBER	E-MAIL ADDRESS
Elaine Troy	NYS Dept. of Health Frear Bldg., 4^th floor 2 Third St. Troy, NY 12180	271-2760	eht01@health.state.ny.us
John DiMura	NYS Canal Corp 200 Southern Blvd Albany, NY 12209	436-3034	john_Dimura@canals.state.ny.us
Donald Odell	Friends of MHBHT 97 Manning Blvd., Apt A Albany, NY 12203	482-4574	dodell@nycap.rr.com
Kathy Quandt	Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau 25 Quackenbush Square Albany, NY 12207	434-1217 x213	Kathy@albany.org
Ivan Vamos	NYBC 13 Maple Lane South Loudonville, NY 12211	459-2026	ivanvamos@hotmail.com
Nancy Davis	Hudson River Valley Greenway Capitol Bldg., Rm. 254 Albany, NY 12224	402-5894	Nancy.Davis@hudsongreenway.state.ny.us
Holly Sullivan	Hudson River Valley Greenway Capitol Bldg., Rm. 254 Albany, NY 12224	402-5894	Holly.Sullivan@hudsongreenway.state.ny.us
John Stangle	Village of Menands		johnstangle@hotmail.com

1. Welcome and Tour

q Kathy Quandt, our host for this meeting, gave us the “short tour” of the Albany Visitors Center. We found it difficult to pull ourselves away from the interesting exhibits and getting to the business at hand.

2. Approval of the previous meeting review. The review of the November 4 meeting was approved.

3. CTANY (Canal Trailways Association of New York) Update—John DiMura

q CTANY is working on the Local Management Planning Guidelines. Karl Beard is the lead on this.

q CTANY is updating the maintenance and design guidelines

q The Canal Corp has issued the Adopt A Trail Program which includes guidelines for volunteers containing the do’s and don’t’s.

4. Regional Updates

q John DiMura.

· The Canal Corp has just completed an interpretative plan for the Canalway. A copy of the Interim Interpretative Plan, “Unlocking the Legend”, was circulated. This incorporates a thematic framework for the canalway and municipalities.

· Signage Design Guidelines have also been developed and are available.

· The Inn to Inn Touring Brochure has been completed. It includes the Mohawk-Hudson segment from Albany to St. Johnsville. The brochure will not be distributed until the Fall when the Montgomery County Trail segments from Fort Hunter to St. Johnsville are completed.

· John distributed materials on the Watervliet to Schuylerville component of the Champlain Canal.

q Ivan Vamos noted the material in the endnote of the previous meeting review, and that, at some point, someone should pursue the points raised.

q John Stangle noted the continuing attempts of the Village of Menands to continue development of connections to the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail.

q Holly Sullivan noted that the Hudson River Valley Greenway is working on 56 water trail sites, and has bid out a standard design for kiosks for the water trail.

q Don Odell noted his continuing objections to the lack of connections to the Mohawk portion of the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail in the Greenway/CDTC/Albany County connections study, and that the issue has been raised at the CDTC Bike-Pedestrian meeting.

q Nancy Davis. Nancy and Holly are handling the coordination of the Greenway connections at this end of the Greenway trails.

q Elaine Troy, NYS Health Dept., referred all to her comments in the previous meeting review, and noted that the Health Dept. is promoting trails and their use within the Healthy Heart Program.

q Ivan Vamos noted that all parties should be promoting and encouraging local trail use.

q Kathy Quandt noted that an interpretative program for the Hudson River Way will be issued in 2003.

3. Future Projects/Work Plan for 2003. John DiMura led this discussion, with the following points being developed on newsprint.

q Issues/Opportunities.

· Connections between Greenway trails and Canalway trails in Cohoes.

· Coordination with studies/projects in the region.

· Joint management association (continuing from ideas being developed in Greenway Connections study. (Award for the best maintenance agreement.)

· Establish link to Hudson River Natural Resources Drainage Assessment Process.

· Involve chambers of commerce.

· Linkages to community facilities.

· Adopt-A-Trail (Establish Volunteer Groups).

· Distribute information/Surveys/trail etiquette education [use Hudson River portion of trail]/trail patrol.

· Find a chairperson – dog & pony show.

· Making contacts with city & county.

· Publicize to and through agencies/groups/everyone.

· Speakers bureau on regional group, especially economic benefits of trail.

· Detailed maps (CDTC).

· Letters to editors.

· Urger (Canal flagship) – publicize the canal.

· Girl Scout outing [outreach to scouting groups].

5. Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for 3:00-5:00 PM, Monday, January 27, 2003 at the Albany Visitors Center. Details as to location and parking will be forthcoming.

SUBMITTED BY:

Don Odell, recorder

2nd Draft