NYS Parks coordinated a media event on 21 August to promote a $2.5M grant from the Ralph Wilson Foundation being leveraged with other funds to support $6.5M of work on the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail that will help create key connections to the Empire State Trail. The event took place at 11 a.m. at Canawaugus Park in Scottsville, with Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid and Wilson CEO David Egner attending to give remarks, along with some local elected officials and FOGVG President Joan Schumaker.

The Wilson Foundation will provide $2.5 M, State Parks $2.5M, and NYSDOT $1.54M. The funding will result in complete resurfacing, signage, and infrastructure improvements for 17 miles of  the Greenway Trail between Rochester and Avon; creation of a strategic plan for further improvements needed on the rest of the Greenway; access improvements to the Mt. Morris greenway bridge; and partial resurfacing and signage for the trail in the Town of York in Lvingston County.  The Wilson Foundation also has awarded an additional $2.5 million (contingent on the state locating matching funds) to be used to support further Greenway improvements identified in the strategic plan that will be prepared as part of the initial $6.5M in funding.

This will be truly transformative for the residents of and visitors to our region.