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Local residents and business owners make up the committee, whose mission is to attract daytrippers and then provide information on where to eat and shop, said Susan Siegel, candidate for a vacant Town Board seat.
Studies of other trail towns have shown that daytrippers passing through a town often will spend four times as much as a resident. “One of the critical components of economic development is strengthening the existing commercial base in our hamlets,” said Siegel. “And in Yorktown, that can be done by promoting one of our unique assets – our trails. Our trails can be a vehicle for bringing shoppers into our hamlets as well as encouraging new businesses to locate in Yorktown.” Jane Daniels, co-author of “Walkable Westchester,” a guide to more than 600 miles of hiking trails in 200 Westchester parks, is member of the new committee.
Other members include Mark Linehan, a hiker and cyclist who leads bicycle rides for the Westchester Cycle Club; Jonathan Nettelfield, who markets Walkway Over the Hudson; Robert Giordano, founder of the Yorktown Small Business Association; Tom Walsh, owner of Yorktown Cycles; Justin Fagan, owner of the Trailside Café and JJs Scoophouse; and Charles Crosby, manager of Turco’s.
Siegel will work with the committee in an advisory capacity. The Yorktown Trail Committee was scheduled to hold its first meeting on Monday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Trailside Café, 1807 Commerce St. Residents and business owners interested in joining the committee are encouraged to contact Siegel at bookhunterpress@verizon.net.
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