All Over Albany

A few possibilities for the next life of that huge barn that stands alongside the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail

The second paved segment of the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail -- from Slingerlands to Voorheesville -- is ribbon-cutting official as of this week. And the popular paved path now stretches 9 miles from Albany's South End to the west through Bethlehem and New Scotland.

One of the things you might notice on the new segment -- it's hard to miss -- is the giant barn next to the spot where the rail trail crosses Hilton Road in the town of New Scotland. It is, appropriately, the Hilton Barn.

It dates back 1898, and it's said to be one of largest post-and-beam structures ever built in the county. Multiple people we talked with about it this week described it as being like a cathedral.

And its future could be a part of what you might think of as the second phase of the rail trail, in which destinations pop up along the trail and it branches out to connect with the surrounding communities.

Here are a few ideas that are bouncing around...

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Mapping out the future for an alternative transportation network in the Capital District

The Capital Region already has a handful of popular biking and walking trails, but if you zoom out a little bit and look at the whole picture you can the see the outline of something a lot bigger.

That something is what Jennifer Ceponis, a senior transportation planner for the Capital District Transportation Committee, describes as an alternative transportation network: "Much like we have a highway system for cars -- with supporting roads and arterials that feed into that -- we want people to be thinking that the region can have a similar system but for bicycling, walking, and other recreational activities."

Toward that goal, the planning org has put together the Capital District Trails Plan, a map toward a future in which you might be able to ride a bike from, say, Voorheesville to Saratoga Springs and beyond on a network of paths.

Here are a few highlights.

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Getting a look at the "Full Spectrum" on the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail

We got a chance to check out the mural on the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail last week. It's on the support pillars that hold up the Cherry Ave overpass across the trail. There are a few more photos below that have a wider look at the mural.

The artwork -- "Full Spectrum" -- is the creation of John DeMarco, and it's part of an ongoing effort by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy's aptly-named Art on the Rail Trail (ART) group to add public art to the popular trail.

(Unfortunately, the new work was tagged almost immediately. But the mural was quickly fixed and sealed. Bethlehem police would like to hear from anyone with info.)

ART also is working toward a third mural, on the inside of the top of the bridge that crosses Delaware Ave in Delmar. The call for submissions closed in August. So keep an eye out for updates.

Chalk the Walk
Art on the Rail Trail is organizing a chalk art contest on the rail trail Saturday, September 22 at Hudson Ave and Adams Street in Delmar from 11 am to 3 pm.. It's $10 to enter ahead / $15 day of.

There will also be live music, food, art, and a craft fair at the nearby Real McCoy Beer Co. (The brewery is in the same spot as Brewtus Roasting Co. and Royal Meadery.)

Earlier
+ That Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail mural is now complete
+ A few more bits about the present and future of the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail

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There's a second rail trail mural in progress, and an open call for artists for a third

The second Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail mural is in progress under the Cherry Ave Bridge. John DeMarco of Washingtonville has been selected to create a mural called "Full Spectrum." That's a clip from the rendering for the project above. Mural blurbage:

John describes the work as "making flowers and grasses larger than life, to capture the rail trailer's attention and imagination. Some of the references for the flora come from photos taken along the rail trail, walks in my neighborhood, and my mother-in-law's garden." The murals will cover each of the eight pillars under the bridge. Every pillar will be painted in a different, brilliant hue, with silhouettes of organic forms imposed over the color.

There's a community paint day for the mural this Friday, August 17 from 9 am to noon if you'd like to pitch in.

Call for entries for rail trail mural #3
With mural #2 in progress, the Art on the Rail Trail committee of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy is already pursuing a third mural -- this time on the inside of the top of the bridge that crosses Delaware Ave in Delmar (site photo).

And there's an open call for artists who would be interested in creating the mural. See that link for details. The deadline to apply is August 24. The project has a budget of $2000-$3000, which would include the artist fee and supplies.

Earlier:
+ That Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail mural is now complete
+ A few more bits about the present and future of the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail

A few more bits about the present and future of the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail

The second segment of Albany County's Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail is now paved -- as noted earlier this week -- meaning there's now 9 miles of (almost) continuous pavement from the South End in Albany all the way out to Voorheesville.

We got a chance this week to talk with Albany County exec Dan McCoy about the present and future of the popular trail.

"I go around doing my state of the county every year, people are like rooting us on -- when's it going to be done, when's it going to be done, when are you going to fix the problem with it," McCoy said in reference to the remarkable popularity of the rail trail. "And these are good issues to have."

Here are a few bits about paving, the depot building in Slingerlands, new amenities, bathrooms, bike share, and what's still ahead...

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The second section of the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail is now paved

Check it out: The second segment of the Albany County's Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail -- from Slingerlands to Voorheesville -- is now paved.

We took a spin on the 4-mile segment this Saturday. The newly-paved section starts just west of the Slingerlands parking lot, crosses the Font Grove roads, slices through many shady sections alongside fields with views of the Helderbergs through the trees, passes the Hilton Barn in New Scotland, spans State Farm Road, traverses the Vly Creek, and ends at Grove Street in Voorheesville. The pavement is luxuriously smooth.

That makes (almost) nine miles of continues paved trail from South Pearl Street in the city of Albany out through Bethlehem, New Scotland, and Voorheesville.

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There's another rail trail public art project this summer, and the call for artists is open

The mural by Andrea Hersh at Adams Street and Hudson Ave in Delmar.

We mentioned this in the rail trail post this week, but it's worth highlighting: The call for artists is currently open for the next public art project on the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail. Project blurbage:

Art on the Rail Trail (ART), a new initiative designed to bring public art installations to the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, is excited to announce a call for artists interested in developing an original public artwork for the piers along the Rail Trail, under the Cherry Avenue Extension bridge. We welcome all artists to apply, but specifically encourage those who work in public art, murals, and mosaic. Artists, designers, studios, and teams may submit multiple concepts for this project, and artists from any location are encouraged to apply. However, preference will be given to Capital Region artists and those from the surrounding area (defined by artists living within a 100-mile radius from the Town of Bethlehem).

The project fee is $5,000 -- that's to cover the artist fee, supplies, equipment, and other expenses. The submission deadline is June 17.

Here's the location of Cherry Ave Ext bridge. That first link above includes important application info.

The first ART project -- a mural by Andrea Hersh on a trail-adjacent building on Adams Street in Delmar -- debuted last October.

Earlier: The Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail is set to get a new paved section this summer, and a few more bits about its future

The Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail is set to get a new paved section this summer, and a few more bits about its future

Albany County's Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail is already one of the most popular bike/hike trails in the region, even though it's just a few years old.

And this summer is shaping up to be a big season for the path as the county prepares to pave the segment from Slingerlands to Voorheesville, adding another four miles of asphalt path.

Here are a few things about the future of the trail -- both in the short term and farther out...

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Looking ahead on the future of the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail

Though a portion of it has only been paved for a few years, the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail is already one of the area's most popular hike/bike paths. And 2018 is shaping up to be another big year -- the trail is set for more miles of pavement and a trailhead makeover.

Here are a few things about what's ahead...

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That Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail mural is now complete

Another quick update on the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail mural project in Delmar: The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy's Art on the Rail Trail committee selected artist Andrea Hersh to create the mural, and she finished the work this past weekend.

The mural is on the side of a garage building along the trail at Adams Street and Hudson Ave. If you walk or bike that section of the path in Delmar you can't miss it.

A clip from Hersh's statement about the design:

This mural represents a lush and pristine world of imagined creatures, with rolling hills that are part humanoid trees and vegetation. I continually strive to bring balance into my art. I am a person who always sees two sides to every story, balancing family and work, society and solitude, whimsy and cold reality. There are always two sided to every story and although we see the beauty in this image there is the underlying reality of our disposable world.

There will be a formal unveiling of the mural Saturday, October 28 at 11 am. Hersh will be there and there will be refreshments.

By the way: If you haven't walked or biked the rail trail yet, try to make some time over the next few weeks. The path through the Normanskill gorge up into Bethlehem should be beautiful as the leaves change.

Meet-the-artists event with the finalists for the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail mural

Quick update on that Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail mural project: The three artists selected as finalists will be at a public meeting at Bethlehem Town Hall September 7 from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Press release blurbage: "The artists will be on hand at the community meeting, to discuss their proposals and address any questions from attendees. Each artist will bring their drawings and community members are invited to view each proposal and submit opinions to the committee."

Here are the three finalists selected by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy's Art on the Rail Trail committee:

+ Andrea Hersh from Bethlehem

+ Michael Conlin from Albany

+ Dan Mehlman from Bethlehem

(You might remember that Conlin created the blue bird mural on the side of the Quackenbush Garage in downtown Albany.)

The mural site is a building at the corner of Adams Street and Hudson Ave in Delmar. If you've walked or biked along that section of the trail, you can't miss it. The land conservancy is hoping to have the mural completed by late October.

photo via Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy

A call for a rail trail mural

A group connected to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy called Art on the Rail Trail (ART) has been working to set up public art projects along the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail. And it's now ready to move forward on its first project, with a call out for artists.

The mural site is at the corner of Adams Street and Hudson Ave in Delmar (map). ART has an open house at 90 Adams Street on June 29 from 6-7 pm for interested artists. Blurbage:

ART welcomes all artists who apply, but is specifically interested in those who have experience in public art, mosaics, and murals. The group is hoping to hire an artist who lives in the Capital Region in an effort to support local community members. ART is particularly interested in proposals which incorporate the themes of connectivity and movement. ...

Throughout the month of August, up to three finalists will be selected and a public presentation will be made. The committee is prioritizing transparency in the selection process, welcoming community members to voice opinions on the different proposals. By mid-October, the mural will be completed, and there will be a mural unveiling ceremony.

Here are the instructions for submitting an application. The deadline July 31 at 11:59 pm.

The online materials don't specifically mention the budget that ART has in mind. But we checked with the the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, and here was the response: "ART's goal is to offer an artist fee, which will include all project management, labor, and material costs, of at least $3,000. The committee is actively fundraising and the budget may change over time. A finalized budget will be announced when finalist decisions are made in mid-August."

photo via Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy