Panel will also have two new members from Fishkill

Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou on Monday (May 20) announced that he is appointing Amber Grant and Zack Smith to the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail’s Visitation Data Committee, which is analyzing the projected impacts of the 7.5-mile trail between Cold Spring and Beacon.

Grant, an at-large City Council member, is a digital director who leads a team that, through data analysis, implements large-scale initiatives for a financial institution. Smith is a data scientist. 

Town of Fishkill Supervisor Ozzy Albra is also adding himself and Planning Board Chair Jonathan Kanter to the committee. 

Five committee members from Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Philipstown issued a statement last month expressing concern over the ongoing data effort. Two weeks later, the mayors of Cold Spring and Nelsonville and the Philipstown supervisor publicly opposed plans to start the trail in Cold Spring.

That prompted Kyriacou and Albra on April 23 to issue their own statement supporting the project and calling for “completion of an objective analysis of potential impacts” to be reviewed by the full Data Committee. Kyriacou and Albra also asked for increased representation for their municipalities on the committee.

On Monday, Kyriacou encouraged city residents to voice their support for the trail and again said he would be happy for construction to begin in Beacon if there are concerns to address on the other end.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Jeff Simms has covered Beacon for The Current since 2015. He studied journalism at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. From there he worked as a reporter for the tri-weekly Watauga Democrat in Boone and the daily Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland, before transitioning into nonprofit communications in Washington, D.C., and New York City. He can be reached at [email protected].

2 replies on “Beacon Mayor Appoints Two to Fjord Trail Committee”

  1. Mayor Kyriacou is aware the the preferred trail in the City of Beacon goes through private property owned by Beacon residents. I would love to hear his proposal for rectifying this issue. If he is happy to allow construction to start in Beacon, clearly this is not an important issue for him. He should take a walk and see what the actual impact of 600,00 visitors (HHFT estimates) will have on the families whose property this trail will bisect.

    1. To clarify, planners have said they expect the Fjord Trail to attract 120,000 people annually in addition to the 480,000 who already visit the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve.

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