LOOKING AHEAD

The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway Coalition has learned that we will receivea FHWA Byway Grant to fund Improved Recreational Access to the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve with a total project cost of $521,100. We will be working with the Town of Clifton Park to implementation this project.

We will release the recently completed study and the preferred alternate for the Cohoes - Crescent Road in the Town of Colonie. This includes reconstruction of the road with pull offs along the Mohawk River, and a bike and pedestrian way between the highway and the river. This project was completed with the diligent cooperation of the Town of Colonie.

The Byway will start a project to dramatically expand interpretation of some of our key resources. The first step will be implementation of an on-demand cell phone based tour followed by additional interpretive kiosks along the Byway route.

In 2013 we expect to finish and publish the Scenic Conservation Action Plan working with your municipality’s planning agency.

The Byway has a growing calendar of events this year including

• April 14 - Chicken and Biscuit Dinner on the Byway• April 20 - Byway Community Cleanup • April 29 - Dedication of the new bridge across historic Lock 19• July 13 - Mohawk Gateway Canal Fest• August 10 - Fourth Annual Bike the Byway• September 7 - Harvest Days on the Byway• October 20 - 11th Annual Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon

Mohawk Towpath Scenic BywayCoalition, Inc.

P O Box 90Clifton Park, N Y 12065-0090

518-406-8610http://www.MohawkTowpath.org/

ANNUAL REPORT2012

We proudly present the 2012 Annual Report of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway.

The Byway has experienced another very productive year as you will see from our accomplishments within the following pages.

Not only did we make substantial gains as we implement the Byway’s Corridor Management Plan, but we were able to expand our volunteer base and garner broader recognition of our local history, recreational and cultural resources right here in our own back yard.

More than 200 residents along the Mohawk Towpath Byway contributed nearly 2000 person hours of volunteer time valued at more than $50,000. This is used, in part, as a local match for federal and state grants.

Our strong relationship with each of our eight municipalities and with the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission continues to pay off. One of the most successful new developments in 2012 was the formation of the Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway. This is a membership organization of Byway enthusiasts that provides a refreshing new voice to Byway advocacy. The Byway welcomes the Capital Region Maritime Center in its growing community of partners. We look forward to an enriched relationship with our partners in stewardship and sustainability of the Scenic Byway.

Thank you for your support, encouragement and your involvement in the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway. Lawrence D. SyzdekChairman

The Mohawk Towpath Byway: the roadway that tells the story of the waterway west, the Erie Canal and the role our communities played in the westward expansion of the country and in the Industrial Revolution. The Byway is one of a network of New York State Scenic Byways and one of 150 Unique America’s Byways.

The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway Coalition, Inc.: A regional partnership between municipalities to preserve the story - Clifton Park, Cohoes, Colonie, Halfmoon, Niskayuna, Schenectady and Village and Town of Waterford.

Executive Committee:Lawrence D. Syzdek ChairmanKevin Franklin Vice ChairmanHenrietta O’Grady SecretaryNelson Ronsvalle Treasurer

Municipalities andtheir Representatives:

Town of Clifton Park John L. Scherer

Eric J. HamiltonTown of Colonie

Kevin FranklinCity of Cohoes Ed Tremblay Town of Halfmoon

Nelson RonsvalleTown of Niskayuna

Kathy MaternCity of Schenectady

Katherine StephensTown of Waterford

J. Christopher CallaghanVillage of Waterford

Merle Doud

Executive Director:Eric J. Hamilton

http://www.mohawktowpath.org/

The 2012 start of a wet Duathlon and our Harvest Day booth.

SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Task 1 - Inform and Promote the Byway• Established a Mohawk Towpath Byway road trip on Rand McNally/USA Today’s Best of the Road website http://

www.bestoftheroad.com/roadTrip.do?roadTripId=877 with 27 local attractions.

• Had over 150,000 pass through the Byway Visitor Center on the ground level of Proctors Theater in Schenectady. The Visitor Center has a wall of interpretive information on Schenectady heritage areas and the Mohawk Towpath Byway.

• Distributed additional copies of our Discovery Guide principally through the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau (including Albany International Airport), the New York State Museum, Proctors and our eight member municipalities.

• Distributed 4000 copies of our folded rack card directing traffic to our web sites for further information about the Mohawk Towpath Byway.

• Attracted steady web site traffic

a. www.mohawktowpath.org had 7,016 page views during 2012. Peak traffic was again in October.

b. The Byway’s blog has had 1,687 page views this year to 24 new posts. Peak traffic in April.

c. The Byway’s Facebook page has steady traffic (likes, comments, etc) as news feed was added.

• Hosted three events to raise awareness of the Byway, its stories, and its resources:

a. Bike the Byway August 13 with over 30 participants

b. Harvest Days the weekend of October 1 with several hundred visitors even with bad weather

c. Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon with nearly 100 participants and 30 volunteers

• Distributed 30 promotional tee shirts at the Bike the Byway event in safety orange color to participants and volunteers.

• Held an information booth at the Adirondack Sports and Fitness Summer Expo, at Clifton Park’s Farm Fest, and at Waterford’s Canal Days.

• Distributed 150 promotional and safety neon green tee shirts at the Duathlon for participants and volunteers.

• Several enthusiasts nominated and maintained information on sites, events and volunteer opportunities within the Lakes to Locks Scenic Byway National Geographic geo-tourism web site.

Task 2 - Protect and Enhance Byway Resources• Through one of the Byway’s most successful

partnerships, the Southern Saratoga Chamber marshaled Turner Construction, Curtis Lumber, County Waste, Shenendehowa High School Technology Department students and mentoring professional engineers from GE, Momentive Performance Materials, and Turner Construction. The volunteers cleared encroaching vegetation at historic Lock 19 in the Vischer Ferry Preserve, designed a bridge, received necessary approvals and constructed and placed the bridge across the southern chamber of the lock.

• Completed a draft Alternative Analysis on the Cohoes Crescent Road and focused on a recommended alternative. This document will be ready for public review this spring.

Task 3 - Build and Reinforce Partnerships

• Continued to strengthen our partnerships with our eight member municipalities.

• Built on the Byway’s partnership with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor taking advantage of training offered through AASLH and technical assistance by National Park Service connections.

• Cultivated a partnership with the Capital Region Maritime Center in Alplaus.

• Obtained nine commercial sponsors for this year’s Duathlon.

• Worked with Lakes to Locks All American Road to maintain and enrich our geo-tourism abilities through the National Geographic platform.

• Coordinated with the Albany County CVB on marketing and publicity initiatives.

• Fostered a membership based Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway adding significantly to local municipal partners by a group of volunteers who seek to improve the visibility and heritage of the Mohawk Towpath Byway. The group’s purpose is to increase public awareness of the Byway; to encourage cultural, recreational, and educational activities; and to stimulate gifts and endowments to support the Byway and its programs.

Task 4 - Build Transportation Partnerships - We continue to expand and strengthen or connection to transportation planners and designers as several projects along the Byway move through the planning process.

Task 5 - Refine Internal Operations - This is also a continuing effort over the course of the year. It includes administrative obligations, evaluation of CMP implementation, and strategic planning of future projects and implementation.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Expenses exceeded revenue because we have not received final reimbursement for the grant funding the Cohoes Crescent Road project.