So said Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R-Tivoli, who, along with Senator Stephen Saland, R-Poughkeepsie, is spearheading an effort to persuade Paterson to abandon his plan to consolidate the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley with the Department of State.

Both organizations were created in 1991 by the Hudson River Valley Greenway Act, as a way to regionalize the Hudson Valley. 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, establish a Hudson River Valley Trail system, and, with the Council, works with communities to strengthen state agency cooperation with local governments. 

The Greenway also receives federal funding for managing the National Heritage Area and disburses grants to local communities, many of whom use the funding as matching funds for private or federal grant programs.

Approximately 90 percent of the 242 communities in the Greenway region have opted into the organization. The region concludes Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Albany, and Westchester counties, as well as portions of Greene, Ulster, and Saratoga counties and the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. 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, the Common Council.

"At a time when we are hoping to stimulate the economy, the one effective tool that has bridged divides within the Hudson Valley is being proposed for elimination," Molinaro told ccSCOOP.

Specifically, Molinaro charged, the governor's plan would mean an end to the $1.2 million in federal funding the Greenway receives for managing the National Heritage Area.

"The federal government has consistently frowned upon state agencies managing federal heritage areas, frankly because of the inefficiencies of state agencies. The Greenway provides a quasi-independent organization that met the federal government’s requirements. The governor's proposal will eliminate that," he said.

To emphasize his point, the assemblyman said the Department of State is overwhelmed by its current responsibilities and has insufficient staff to manage its existing programs, let alone those that it would take on as a result of a Greenway merger.

Perhaps more painful to local communities, Molinaro said, would be the elimination of the Greenway's grant program. The program provides grants to projects that benefit individual communities and the region, such as a $24,000 grant to the Schodack Island State Park and $5,000 to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association to help in the development of the rail trail that stretches through Columbia and Dutchess counties.

Through the program, communities that have approved a municipal resolution to join in Greenway planning at the local or regional level are eligible to apply for matching grants—usually $5,000 to $10,000—for community planning efforts. The match, in an amount equal to the grant, may be made with cash, other grants, contributions from other sources, or the in-kind contribution of volunteer labor. 

Molinaro, who represents the 103rd Assembly District which incorporates nine Columbia County towns and a number of Dutchess County communities, sent letters this week to all of his communities and Greenway supporters seeking assistance in battling the governor’s plans.

Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera said on Tuesday that he had just received the letter and, while he was previously unaware of the governor’s proposal, said he believes it is misguided.

“Greenway has been so valuable to all of the municipalities in the Hudson Valley that it deserves some more consideration than the governor is giving it. I just don't think it is the right thing to do. You don't mess with success," said the mayor.

Molinaro also noted that many communities trust the Greenway and seek the agencies’ support and that a consolidation of the Greenway with the Department of State would ruin that trust.

“Not only would it cause irreparable damage to the State of New York, it frankly would cause significant damage to the trust and relationships that have been developed between the state and local governments,” said Molinaro. Explaining that statement, Molinaro said that local governments that are part of the compact rely on the Greenway for planning and other input and the streamlining of services the agency offers.

Scalera added that the Greenway also works with communities to promote development and the environment. “They help with economic development projects and incorporate the environment. They are not there to discourage development,” said Scalera.

Molinaro is hopeful that the governor will amend his budget proposal next month to remove the consolidation proposal.

“I don’t think they [the governor’s staff] understand the Greenway. They are treating it as some sort of agency that could be consolidated—not the tool that it is. Hopefully, once we present them with the information, he will amend his proposal,” Molinaro.