To the editor:

I am writing in response to Mr. Larry Roth’s recent letter suggesting that my interest, and I might add the interest of a vast majority of people – whether they were originally for or against it – is in getting the Adirondack Rail Trail built as soon as possible. Most of Mr. Roth’s letter was an attempt to reopen the now-firm decision to build the rail trail, an argument that has become repetitive on both sides. It is over, and we need to move on.

But Mr. Roth criticizes our hope that the rail trail can be built quickly. “Why the rush?” he asks. One reason only: According to the best independent estimate (done by the Rails to Trails Conservancy based on similar trails), our local businesses are losing $500,000 PER WEEK in tourist revenues because we do not have this attraction. And added revenue from increased winter traffic is not included in that figure. Whatever the right figure, it is enough to warrant prompt action.

Now that the decision is made, there is every reason to move ahead quickly. Building rail trails is not like putting a man on the moon; there are thousands of them, and how to build them is established practice.

And the idea that going ahead now would interrupt the summer tourist season is just plain silly. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has said that the earliest it could remove the rails is late this year – once the tourist train and rail bikes have completed their season – and that it could take three years to build the trail. I do not question the former, but I do question the latter. We should be able to have a fully working trail in two years or less once the rails come up. I see no reason why first uses – e.g., in the winter – could not be even sooner: for example, for the snowshoe races in 2017. For the sake of our local economies, I hope we can do it as fast as possible.

Lee Keet

Saranac Lake