The Genesee Land
Trust received a Civic Engagement grant from the Rochester
Community Foundation in 2002. Led by board member, Tom Frey,
the trust gathered a team of local organizations including
Group 14621 and Ibero Development Corporation and interested
neighbors (past and present) to develop the concept of a neighborhood
trail on the abandoned CSX railroad right of way that have
been used for years to bring coal to the Beebe Power Station,
and to encourage the City to pursue its acquisition.
In 2002, the Trust
held a series of public input meetings and commissioned a
concept study by EDR, partially supported by a planning grant
from the City. In 2003, Eastman Kodak Company donated
$150,000 toward the project. In addition, the concept study
provided the basis for a $2 million Transportation Enhancement
Project grant from the federal government by the City that
was awarded shortly after the City finalized its purchase
of the land from CSX in 2006. New York State Multi-modal funds
have also been allocated to the project's construction.
In 2007, the Trust
was awarded a Sector Capital Improvement grant of $100,000
to develop an adjacent empty lot at the corner of Clifford
and Conkey Avenues (click here to learn more about the Conkey
Corner Park) as a gateway neighborhood park. Following a
series of public meetings and events at the corner, the new
park will be installed in October 2009 (click here for photos).
The El Camino design
began in the Fall of 2008 with continued development through
Spring 2009. Construction of El Camino is scheduled to begin
in 2009. |
