Vale Trail to be completed in time for Stockade-athon

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bethany Bump

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Stockade-athon runners will have a new and scenic view along their 9.3-mile route through the city this fall.

A total of $35,000 in grant money from the county and two area organizations will help finish a trail through Vale Park that the city has been hoping to complete for years. The trail paving and improvements will be done by Nov. 11 — just in time for runners in the 37th annual Gazette Stockade-athon to use.

The 15-kilometer road race begins and ends in Central Park, taking runners along city streets through the Stockade Historic District, downtown and along State Street. Now, the portion of the race that used to close State Street from Clinton to Moyston streets will be rerouted into Vale Cemetery.

“My thanks to the county and to the other sponsors who are helping us finish this important project at no cost to city taxpayers,” Mayor Gary McCarthy said in a news release. “This will help us build on the improvements that the city has accomplished at Vale Park in recent years.”

Workers will pave a final 650 feet of trail through Vale Park. A previous $700,000 grant helped pave a trail through the park a few years ago, but left a small portion unfinished on the north border of the park, near White and Columbia streets.

The final repaving will be included as part of the city’s annual paving program. The cost will be reimbursed in part by the Schenectady County Capital Resource Corp. through the fees it earns arranging bond financing for nonprofits. Two Stockade-athon sponsors — the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club and Albany-based Fleet Feet Sports — will cover part of the cost, as well.

Once complete, the Vale Trail will connect with the rest of the county’s hike and bike trail through Central Park and downtown Schenectady. This larger trail extends about 25 miles through the county and is part of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail.