Trustee to Propose Including Silver Lake in Bay-to-Sound Trail Project

Greenport Village Trustee Doug Roberts has a plan to pitch Silver Lake for inclusion in a bay-to-Sound trail project.

He hopes to bring the issue up at this week’s work session on Thursday night at the Third Street Firehouse.

According to Roberts, several years ago, the village ”opted out of funding” that would have put a trail system and boardwalk in at Silver Lake, connecting Webb Street to Moores Lane, via a walking trail, and developing Monsell Trail, too.

“This project has not yet been completed,” Roberts said, although the town is working on a Phase 2, west of the village, around Pipe’s Cove and near the old Sill property.

Roberts thinks the trail would prove to be a win-win.

“This is a no-brainer that would benefit the village residents, visitors, the environment, and the entire region,” he said.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell agreed: “This is very good news. The town has been working for years to complete a bay to Sound trail. What had originally started as a joint project between the town and the village for whatever reason, didn’t move forward. While the town had focused on continuing the work to complete the portions of the trail within the town, it is very good news to see that Trustee Roberts want to renew the partnership and complete the work. i believe he’s right, it is a win-win.”

While there is no specific funding allocated currently for the plan, Roberts said the more agencies that back the project, the better the chances of garnering monies to implement the idea. He’d like to suggest the idea once again to the Group for the East End, he said.

To that end, Roberts plans to propose a resolution to the village board, committing to a partnership with the town of Southold, on developing Silver Lake as part of the bay-to-Sound trail project.