Early ideas are sketched…

An idea is seeded. The community of Red Hook should have the choice of safely walking their children to school and to neighborhood communities.

The idea becomes a vision of integrating the existing detached trails and centers of activity in the town by “hooking” them together through safe walking and biking infrastructures.

The Hook Trail website was created to house the Hook Trail initiative artwork, Red Hook points of interest, etc. A branded trail network was proposed and rough trail concepts were drawn, including a new off-road alternative to connect the Villages of Tivoli and Red Hook.

Tragically, two Bard students were fatally struck by a car while walking on Route 9G in Tivoli. Following this loss, we prioritized personal and professional resources towards actualizing the Hook Trail system to fill the immediate need for safe walking and biking infrastructures to key destinations in town.

Shortly after the terrible accident, the Hook Trail initiative is presented to Dutchess County Legislator, Micki Walsh Strawinski and Kristofer Munn of the Red Hook Observer. The Hook Trail becomes a grassroots effort and publicly launches with the help of local radio station WKZE, Micki Walsh Strawinski, Bard College, and the Red Hook Observer. The Hook Trail website goes live.

A petition, circulated in the Red Hook Observer and elsewhere, asks residents to “Just Say Yes” to safe pedestrian and bike trails for Red Hook.

Alta Planning + Design was hired through a Greenway grant secured by the Town. A survey, study, planning, and report were executed with the help of Alta and a group of community members referred to as “stakeholders”. The stakeholders represented a variety of voices from the Red Hook community, such as the Greenway & Trails Committee, Red Hook and Tivoli Mayor’s offices, Robert George Design Group, Ltd., Winnakee Land Trust, Red Hook Central School District, Bard College, the DEC, and the Red Hook Recreation Department.

Stakeholders vote and decide the Hook Trail name and branding should be adopted and embraced for the trails system to connect the local villages, schools, and population centers.

Alta Planning completes their report and Greater Good Dynamics takes on the year-long plus task of editing and finalizing the planning document, with the help of a local copy writer.