This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Blueway Trail For Kayakers Is In The Works

The Twin Pines Kayak Club along with Councilman Fred Pollack discuss proposed Blueway Trail.

Mention greater access to Port Washington's waterways, and local kayakers seem to be all in favor. This was evident on Tuesday evening, when Twin Pines Kayak Club members and Councilman Fred Pollack met Tuesday at the Community Chest of Port Washington.

In total, about 20 attended the meeting, eager to discuss a proposed Town of North Hempstead Blueway Trail, which would run from Hempstead Harbor to Manhasset Bay, leading into Little Neck Bay and include approximately 32 miles of coastline.

"I am excited about this new trail for all the kayak members," said Robert Bloom, a kayak club member.

Find out what's happening in Port Washingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A Blueway Trail is a water path, similar to a hiking trail that is developed with launch points, camping locations and points of interests for canoeists and kayakers. According to Pollack, this project would take approximately 18 months to build and would be an educational trail for environmental activities.

To create the trail, the town was awarded a grant of $75,000 by the New York State Department of State Division of Coastal Resources in 2006, Pollack said. The process – including the review of grants and contract documents and request for proposals – took several years. Now the town is partnering with Nelson, Pope and Voorhis, a Melville-based engineering firm, to design the the town's waterway trail. No visuals yet on what the trail would look like, but Pollack said a draft would be available in the near future. 

Find out what's happening in Port Washingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Twin Pines Kayak Club Member Alan Bergman said that while the blueway trail is a route for non-motorized boats, such as canoes, kayaks, small sailboats and paddleboats to operate, it is not intended for wave runners or high-speed motorboats. However, wave runners would be allowed on the trail if they keep their speed to a minimal pace, he said.

"The Kayak Club members and the consulting firm are analyzing where we can have permanent storage facilities so we can store our boats, possibly at Bar Beach," Bergman said. "The club is also looking at several launch sites in Manhasset Bay, which would also allow us to stop and take a walk on a nature trail. Our waterways are a natural resource that are underutilized, and this Blueway Trail will be the first of its kind on Long Island."

Kayak Club Member Robert Bloom suggested a launching site by Sunset Park.

"Using the north side of the Town Dock by the beach in Sunset Park would be one good place to launch the boats," Bloom said. 

Residents are encouraged to suggest their ideas for the trail by completing an online survey through the Town of North Hempstead website: www.northhempsteadny.gov

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?