Caption
Close
Saratoga Springs
Jack Pompay has been living on Geyser Road since 1962. When he moved there with his new bride Marie, there were few homes.
“It was us, the Whitneys — that’s when CV was still alive — and Vichy Water,” said Pompay, who is 81.
Now the road is busy with big trucks from the Grande Industrial Park, buses from the Geyser Road elementary school and cars from the more than 20 percent of the city’s population living in that area. And that’s exactly why Pompay is opposed to the proposed Geyser Road trail that will parallel the road.
“This road is a disaster,” said Pompay. “Someone is going to get hurt crossing the road to get on the trail.”
Pompay, who lives on the north side of Geyser Road, said most of the homes are on the road south side, which means people will have to cross the busy road to get on the trail. The school, industrial park and Saratoga Water (formerly Vichy Water) are all on the north side too — so trucks, cars and buses will constantly cross over the trail to enter their destinations.
The Southwest Neighborhood Association has been planning the trail since 2004. Right now, the group says, it’s too dangerous to walk on the narrow shoulder of the road. The trail would offer safety.
“What’s dangerous is what we have now — a narrow road with very little shoulder, heavily trafficked by tractor-trailers coming and going from the Grande Industrial Park,” said Geyser Crest resident Carl Strock. “To install an eight-foot-wide walkway with another five feet of buffer between the walkway and the road would obviously be a vast improvement.”
The Geyser trail is meant to link Saratoga Spa State Park with Milton. It also is a vital connector in the 23-mile Greenbelt trail, a network that will eventually encircle the city. In 2015, the city was granted $1.6 million in federal funds to pay for the Geyser trail.
Despite Pompay’s concerns, Mayor Joanne Yepsen expects the trail will go forward. Still, she wants to satisfy Pompay and Saratoga Water Co., which also opposes the plan. Yepson, state Department of Transportation Regional Director Sam Zhou and city officials will meet with them and their shared lawyer, Karl Sleight, on Feb. 24.
“We want both parties to come together, give their input and work to resolve their concerns,” said Yepsen. “We will go over them one by one.”
Pompay has collected nearly 100 signatures from neighbors who also oppose the trail. The petition has been handed into City Hall.
“I hope the city comes to its senses,” said Pompay. “I don’t want to witness some kid get run over by a tractor trailer.”
wliberatore@timesunion.com • 518-454-5445 • @wendyliberatore
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
