The Orange County Legislature is set to vote Thursday on a resolution that would see the local Heritage Trail extended from Goshen into Middletown. According to a press release, Orange County Exectutive Steven Neuhaus claims the improvements to the trail will be good for local residents.

“The expansion of the Heritage Trail into Middletown has been talked about for 20 years. Extending the trail makes perfect sense and will benefit Orange County in many ways. I made the extension of the trail a priority for my administration and have worked closely with the Legislature to get this accomplished.

The Heritage Trail, as it stands today, is more than 12 miles long and is used for hiking, running, biking and more. It runs from Goshen to Harriman, with over 150,000 people using it every year.

Extending the trail will cost a total of $12 million. Approximately $8 million is needed for the next stage of development, of which around 80% is coming from federal grants. After additional grant money is taken into consideration, the final cost to Orange County is a mere $317,074.

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