Firm selected to handle Trail to Train extension

AMENIA — The Amenia Town Board has selected WSP Sells as the engineering and design firm to oversee the planning and construction of a half-mile extension to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail that will connect the Metro-North Wassaic train station with the hamlet of Wassaic.

Over the past few weeks, the Town Board has met with its final four applicants for interviews, as part of a strict selection process mandated by the state, which has awarded the town a $480,000 grant (with the town matching  $120,000) for the project.

The board, along with the chair of the Trail to the Train Committee, Tonia Shoumatoff, gave an overview of the interview process at the Dec. 16 Town Board  meeting, although the board ultimately disagreed with the committee’s final recommendation.

Of the four firms, two were clearly out of the running for both the board and committee. The first was Weston & Sampson, whom Shoumatoff said diplomatically was “most off-track.�

Town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard put it more bluntly: “They were late and they weren’t that familiar with the project.�

“They had no clue as to what was actually happening here,� added Councilwoman Darlene Riemer.

CHA, the next firm, had done work on existing rail trails but the landscaping aspect of their plan was not great, Shoumatoff said.

“Middle of the road,� described Riemer.

That left two: Mark Morrison & Associates and WSP Sells. Morrison, a resident of Wassaic, has been involved with the project for many years, in a volunteer capacity, drawing up plans and offering advice. Shoumatoff said the committee felt that Morrison, aside from his previous contributions to the project, had the most familiarity with the area, brought up local help with a Dover engineer and “knows there’s a sense of urgency to get this done.� Shoumatoff also said Morrison offered a rough timeline when construction on the Rail Trail could start, pegging this September.

The Trail to the Train Committee unanimously recommended Morrison, but the Town Board almost unanimously disagreed. Riemer said that she had high hopes for Morrison, “but there wasn’t the synergy I was hoping for� among Morrison, engineer Joe Berger and Barbara Kendall, who would be the principals on the project.

“WSP was the first interview we did, and they really set the bar,� Riemer explained. “These three people have done many trails together. They were flexible and I was impressed by them.�

Morrison had the advantage of being a local person, Riemer pointed out, but the interview didn’t reflect that as much as she had hoped.

“Morrison & Associates did well, but they were my second choice,� Councilman Norm Cayea agreed.

For Supervisor Wayne Euvrard, WSP’s mentioning Carolyn Ryan (from the state’s Department of Transportation, which awarded the large grant) was a big plus. However, after saying that WSP was first in his mind, Euvrard abstained from voting.

Councilwoman Vicki Doyle was the lone voice of dissent on the Town Board, siding with the committee’s recommendation.

Morrison & Associates “would make the project shine,� she said. “I think they would go above and beyond. There’s no doubt in my mind that he could pull off an amazing project. It would be a shame not to use one of our local experts.�

Euvrard countered that WSP Sells was well-known in Poughkeepsie for similar projects.

“They’re real familiar with the process,� he said. “It helps that when you walk into the DOT [Department of Transportation] and you know the individuals and the process.�

“Joe Berger is no stranger to the DOT,� Doyle pointed out.

The board voted 3-1 to accept WSP Sells, with Euvrard abstaining and Doyle voting no.

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