Mike McCagg ccSCOOP News 04-03-09 - The Hudson River Valley Greenway will retain its independence. Plans to consolidate the agencies with the Department of State have been scrapped. Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R-Tivoli) announced on Friday that Governor David Paterson's proposal to merge the Greenway into the state Department of State —hailed by the governor as a money saver but derided by those on both sides of the political aisle as detrimental to environment and economy—did not pass the budget process.

"In this otherwise dismal budget, the good news is the Hudson Valley, in the area of environmental stewardship, can point to several victories. Preserving the Greenway will be of assistance to our communities and their economies during these tough economic times," Molinaro told ccSCOOP.

In his published statement, Molinaro, who has been perhaps the most vocal politician opposed to the plan, said, "Preserving the Greenway as an independent entity is a victory for all residents who believe in its mission and understand that its ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life for all those who call the Hudson Valley home.

"The merger of the Hudson Valley Greenway into a bureaucratic state agency would have meant certain doom for a program that has developed regional partnerships and a shared commitment to smart growth, sustainable economic
development and careful environmental stewardship," Molinaro added.

Opponents to the plan—in addition to Molinaro—included Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-Hurley), Senator Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie), Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Ulster/Dutchess), local officials, and even leaders from abroad. Lubomir Chmelar, director of the Friends of Czech Greenways organization, and Roberto Gambio, director of the European Centre of Documentation on Nature Park Planning at the Polytechnic University in Turin, Italy, also criticized Paterson's proposal, saying the Czech Greenway organization was modeled after the Hudson River Valley Greenway.

"This is really great news," Andy Bicking, director of public policy for environmental group Scenic Hudson, told ccSCOOP on Friday. "Scenic Hudson is very excited to continue its work with the agency."

Bicking added, "It's a great victory for the Hudson Valley, it's a great victory for New York State, and it's a great victory for communities across the globe that understand that it is regions that compete in the global economy and it is regions that are the backbone for the future."

Hinchey, who along with Saland and then Assemblyman George Pataki, authored the legislation that created the Greenway in 1991, praised the decision to keep it independent.

"I am very pleased that Governor Paterson maintained the Greenway in its current, successful form and has provided enough funding that will keep it operating at a successful level," Hinchey said in a prepared statement.

The Greenway Act created the two Greenway organizations: the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley.

Hinchey, Molinaro, and others contended that the merger of the Greenway with the Department of State would have meant an end to the $1.2 million in federal funding the Greenway receives for managing the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, because the federal government has consistently frowned upon state agencies managing federal heritage areas. The Greenway, Molinaro maintained, provides a quasi-independent organization that met the federal government's requirements.

The Greenway Conservancy works with local governments, organizations, and individuals to promote the Hudson River Valley as a tourism destination area, assist in the preservation of agriculture, and establish a Hudson River Valley Trail system. The Conservancy, with the Council, works with communities to strengthen state agency cooperation with local governments.

Approximately 90 percent of the 242 communities in the Greenway region- which includes Columbia County—are a part of the organization. Every Columbia County municipality has opted into the Greenway through a resolution approved by either the town or village board or, in the case of the City of Hudson, by the Common Council.