Trails & Open Space 10/6/2026

The Saratoga County Trails & Open Space Committee met on October 6, 2026. Members approved the September 1 meeting minutes; no procurement or grant-award resolutions were presented for a vote. The committee received an update on the 2026 Farmland Protection and Open Space Grant Program: five applications requested more than $1.3 million, and the subcommittee recommended $760,000 in awards, funded by $450,000 in the 2026 budget and $310,000 from available reserves. The recommendation includes $200,000 for the Gonzalez farm in Stillwater; the transcript does not clearly identify the amount or recipient of the other recommended award. The Gibson open-space application in the Town of Ballston did not advance after negotiations. The recommendations are expected to come before the committee at a later meeting.

Staff also reported on existing farmland and trail grants, including 29 pending trail projects and ongoing reimbursement activity. The 2026 Halfmoon trail award has closed following paving work, while a Greenfield trail grant reimbursement was approved and payment was pending. Updates also covered agricultural-district inclusion applications, tornado-related forestry work, invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, and planning-board review of a proposed Graphite Range parking lot. The committee adjourned after a motion and second.