MONTICELL0 – A new community trail, Bailey Commons, was opened Thursday in Monticello. Community leaders held the ribbon-cutting for the 1/4 mile trail at the end of Edward Avenue in the village.
The new trail was a vacant parcel of unused land until the Sullivan County Land Bank became involved.
“The site was donated to the land bank by an estate,” said Jill Weyer, executive director of the Sullivan County Land Bank and the county’s deputy commissioner of planning. “And it’s kind of an unbuildable lot, so the kids were busy picking up trash, cleaning the site, removing invasive species, and laying out a trail system for the community to enjoy.”
The land bank acquired the parcel about a year ago, and a group of young people, working for the county’s summer youth employment program, spent the last six weeks building trails through the woods in this residential neighborhood.
“I pretty much did everything, with help of course,” said Jeremiah Scott, who worked on the project. “It’s a good breath of fresh air outside.”
But the fresh air had to enter Scott’s body through as mask as he and his co-workers performed their duties in the summer heat during the COVID pandemic. “A lot of lifting, a lot of heavy breathing,” he said, “but we got it done.”
Weyer said Scott and his co-workers succeeded in helping to build a new community space for the public. “They did a great job in a short amount of time,” she said.
