Trails & Open Space 10/27/2026

The Saratoga County Trails & Open Space Committee met on October 27, 2026, and unanimously approved the 2026 farmland and open-space grant recommendations, totaling $760,000 for two projects. The Town of Boston’s Egan equine farm project was recommended for $560,000, conditioned on a $100,000 town contribution and completion of a bargain sale. The Town of Stillwater project, protecting a 48-acre parcel, was recommended for the remaining $200,000; the town will contribute $30,000 toward its $271,313 total project cost. The awards draw on previously unallocated reserve funds, with about $385,000 needed from the reserve and some funds left for future years. The committee also discussed adding closing-time requirements to the resolution and contracts to help reduce project backlogs.

Staff reported on active trail and open-space projects, including a reimbursement process and the trail-extension project, for which construction funding for Phase 1 and design funding for the full project had been approved in 2022; federal environmental review remains underway, and construction is still several years away. The committee discussed options for managing roughly 80 acres of storm-damaged county forest, including a possible future RFP for timber removal, but made no procurement decision. Members also requested a future update on two state farmland-protection grants awarded to projects supported by Saratoga Plan.