About Capital Trail Alliance

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Capital Trail Alliance’s purpose is to establish, maintain and promote sustainable multi-use trail systems in and around the Capital District.  The organization will support outdoor trail resources for community benefit including education, fitness, and environmental awareness for all age groups as well as...

• Educate cyclists and non-cyclists about mountain biking and provide information and financial support for building mountain bike and multi-use trails
• Promote the mental wellness and health benefits associated with trail usage 
• Ensure the future of mountain biking via community outreach programs targeting youth, minorities and people with disabilities
• Establish community trail systems that meet all pertinent environmental rules, regulations and best practices for trail building and maintenance

Gene Primomo has been a resident of Delmar, NY most of his life. The Normans Kill Ravines Park (“NKR”) lies to the north and west from his home on Sunset Drive in Delmar. Gene’s most cherished childhood memories were created exploring the ravines, building small bridges, and hiking trails with his father, Dr. Gene Primomo. The family often hiked to the “Birch Grove” through the stands of mature hardwood trees to the banks of the Normans Kill. After 25 years living out of state, Gene, his wife Carroll, and their three daughters relocated back to Delmar and the family home on Sunset Drive. Once again, with access to the NKR literally out the back door, he reopened the old trails he had built and maintained with his father. Gene invited family, friends, and neighbors to share the trails for hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, skiing, and dog walking. Adventures also included paddling canoes downstream along the Normans Kill which forms the border between Bethlehem and Albany.

Gene’s stewardship and love of this land stirred a vision that the property should be preserved and shared with the entire community by developing a premier, multi-use trail system. Soon other volunteers, many from the cycling community coupled with the Town of Bethlehem created what is now designated as the Normans Kill Ravines Park. Trial systems such as this, need a formal organization to grow credibility and establish nonprofit legal status to help acquire grants and donor support, all of which provide long term viability. 

The mission statement of the Capital Trail Alliance (CTA) is to develop the NKR as the first flagship project for our community to enjoy and cherish for generations to come. We are confident that CTA will play a vital role throughout the Capital Region as the Alliance gains credibility within the community, governmental agencies and donors.

Gene is a graduate of Bethlehem Central High School, Bryant College, and University of Tulsa College of Law. He was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Oklahoma and later practiced with the law firm of Wilcoxen, Wilcoxen & Primomo. He relocated to New York in 1999 and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1998. He has served as Senior Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Northern District of New York since 1999, representing the accused charged with federal crimes. 

Gene has served on several non-profit boards: including The Tulsa Chapter of the American Lung Association, Muskogee YMCA and St. Joseph School. Today, Gene serves on the Board of Directors of Bethlehem Youth Court, Capital Bike Racing Association “CBRC” and is one of the founding members of CTA. 

Gene and Carroll have three daughters, Katelyn Primomo Millwood JD (Jared Millwood), Tricia Primomo DDS (Kevin Browe) and Michelle Primomo Gorman LCSW (Austin Gorman). Gene and Carroll have six grandchildren that only live a short bike ride away.

  Thomas Butler has a B.A. from Colgate University, an M.S. From the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Tom resides in Delmar, NY with his wife Erika and daughter Shayla.  Shayla rides for the Niskayuna Mountain Goats Composite NICA Mountain bike team and Tom is a NICA coach for the team.  Tom is an avid cyclist and has raced in road, cyclocross and mountain bike events for over 20 years.  Tom loves nature and would like to see more people experience it either on a mountain bike, by foot, snow shoes or back country skiing.  He believes that if more people experience nature, they will value it and work to preserve and protect it for our future generations.

  Mark has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 1987, providing access to planning and investment advice to more than 500 families and small business owners through Bryant Asset Management, the financial services branch of Bryant Asset Protection in Slingerlands, New York. In 2012, Mark earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation. The AIF® professional designation demonstrates knowledge and competency in the area of fiduciary responsibility.

Mark is a member of the national and Capital District Financial Planning associations and is a past president of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners.  Currently, Mark is on the board of Capital Roots and holds the position of treasurer.  He is a past director for Northern Rivers Family Services where he served as chairman of the finance committee for Parson's Family and Child Center, and is a past president of the Albany Jaycees. While chairman of the board of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, he accepted the Citizen of the Year award with fellow members of the Bethlehem Planning Committee. 

Mark is presently the treasurer of Capital Roots, a not-for-profit organization located in Troy NY. Mark holds a BS in business administration from Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and is a graduate of Bethlehem Central. Mark and his wife, Lisa Callahan, reside in Delmar and have two sons, Jesse and Jack. In his spare time, Mark enjoys a variety of extreme sports including mountain biking and skiing, golf, vacationing at the family cottage, music—particularly progressive jazz—and reading about global economics and societal issues.

Mark has been instrumental in supporting the Bethlehem Ravines Town Park. He and his wife Lisa Callahan helped raise money for trail development in 2021 and expects to continue working with the parks department in Bethlehem to expand the park for mountain bikers, hikers, snowshoers, and skiers.