Village Receives $19,500 Grant for Mt. U Roadway Repairs

STAMFORD – In addition to the exciting news the village will receive a $4.5 million NY Forward grant for revitalization of its Main St., officials received word last week that they will receive $19,500 from the Delaware County's Tourism Grant program to help improve access to one of its hottest tourist spots, Mount Utsayantha.

Deputy Mayor Jim Kopp, who has been spearheading the MountUtsayantha project, appealed to the towns of Harpersfield and Stamford earlier this year to help upgrade the road leading to the top of the iconic mountain. Utsayantha has been added to the list of fire tower lookouts for the 2026 Catskill Fire Tower Challenge along with Bramley Mountain near Delhi.

The challenge involves hiking to eight different restored fire towers, two in Delaware County and the rest in the Catskill Park. Designation on the list of restored towers through the state Department of Environmental Conservation website as a tourism venue and hiking attraction is expected to increase the traffic to the village's 20-acre park at the summit, where stewards will guide visitors up the fire tower lookout and will be able to provide its history and allow visitors to see its breathtaking views.

Mount Utsayantha has been a stop for locals and visitors alike for more than a century, because of the views. People also travel there to picnic and hike. The village created a park area, installed with a composted restroom and there is a hiking trail. It is one of the few fire towers accessible by car, most requiring hiking to the towers.

Since the pandemic, Mt. U has seen an upward spike in visitors, which in itself, according to Kopp, is

a great boon to the local tourism industry, not only for the villages of Stamford and Hobart, but Delaware County as a whole.

He expects the designation as a tourist destination by the state Tourism Agency and being listed in the Catskill Fire Tower Challenge will also provide a great boost.

He said there were many people involved in the process to get the two fire towers listed in the challenge. The Forest Fire Lookout Association is now in charge of the process, with volunteer stewards being trained to greet visitors, get them up into the cab at the top of the tower and provide the rich history of fire tower observers and the region's forests.

"Since we anticipate an even greater surge of tourists to the mountain top, the village has taken on the project of rebuilding the road from what is known as the saddle to the summit. The road has been maintained by the village of Stamford year after year, but  has now reached the point of needing a major rebuild," stated Kopp. "The village sent out requests for estimates to do the road work, but those prices were beyond what we could afford."

Instead, according to Kopp, the village Department of Public Works Supervisor has worked out a plan using a shared services agreement between the three municipalities, which has substantially lowered the costs.  "We also have applied to Robinson Broadhurst and are awaiting the outcome of that application," said Kopp.