During the past year with CTC’s assistance and with the continuing support of our Congressman John Tierney, State Senator Steven Baddour and State Representative Mike Costello, the four local communities have made major progress in developing the trail network.  Accomplishments and noteworthy events in 2008 include:

 

CLIPPER CITY RAIL TRAIL NEWBURYPORT

Construction began in the summer of 2008 on Newburyport’s Clipper City Rail Trail from the MBTA station to the Merrimack River.  MassHighway is providing up to $3 million to construct the trail, including a new bridge over Low Street.  The trail should be completed during 2010.  The City of Newburyport is raising additional funding for an endowment as well as the installation of benches, trash receptacles, signage, sculpture, and play equipment.

 

HARBORWALK EXTENSION, NEWBURYPORT

The City of Newburyport has also begun to build a westward extension of its Harborwalk along the Merrimack River.  The new boardwalk and walkway will connect the Clipper City Rail Trail with Cashman Park and to the portion of the Harborwalk to the west of the park.  The Massachusetts Seaport Advisory Council granted the city of Newburyport $450,000 to help with the project, which also received a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Recreational Trails Program.  The extension should be completed in the spring of 2009.

 

RIVERWALK EXTENSION FUNDING COMMITMENT, AMESBURY

The Town of Amesbury received a new funding commitment by the state to move forward with extending its 1.5-mile Riverwalk to downtown.  Agreement was reached to fund the $177,000 cost of carrying out a state-required revision of the design for the project, which calls for construction of a 400-foot-long bridge linking the Riverwalk with Main Street.  Future plans include extending the Riverwalk an additional mile to the Salisbury line, linking the two towns by trail.

 

OLD EASTERN TRAIL DESIGN COMPLETION, SALISBURY

The Town of Salisbury completed the design of a 1.3-mile section of Salisbury’s Old Eastern Marsh Trail from the Merrimack River to Mudnock Road.  MassHighway is providing up to $2 million to construct the trail and is in the process of awarding the construction contract.  When completed it will be the first link in Salisbury’s north-south rail trail that will ultimately extend to the New Hampshire border and connect residential areas with the town’s parks and elementary school.

 

SALISBURY POINT GHOST TRAIL EXTENSION, SALISBURY

The town of Salisbury used a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Recreational Trails Program and a $5,000 Fields Pond Foundation grant to construct an extension of the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail to Lion’s Park.  SPS New England made a major in-kind contribution by removing hundreds of old railroad ties from the rail bed and grading the trail.  The town held a cooperative Earth Day work event this spring with Timberland Company, local contractors, Salisbury town workers and volunteers from the CTC and the Essex National Heritage Commission to remove trees, build bridges and fences and lay gravel for the trail extension.  During June students from the Sparhawk School worked on improvements of the trail extension.  The students plan to return next year to study and label wildflowers and other native plants growing along the trail.  The final surfacing of the trail will be completed early in 2009.

 

RECREATIONAL TRAIL EASEMENTS, SALISBURY

CTC members were instrumental in obtaining recreational trail easements from Vaughn Manufacturing and Extra Innings, Inc. for the Town of Salisbury. The Vaughn easement will allow the town to connect the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail to Rabbit Road, and completes assembly of the trail’s right-of-way from Lion’s Park to the Salisbury/Amesbury town line.  The Extra Innings easement will provide a connection from the trail to Elm Street and a parking area in the Extra Innings lot.

 

BORDER TO BOSTON TRAIL

CTC members, the Essex National Heritage Commission and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission have continued to participate actively in the Border to Boston Task Force.  The Task Force is cooperating with MassHighway to design and develop the Border to Boston Trail that will extend 28 miles from Salisbury to Danvers.  This long-term effort will design of the rest of Salisbury’s north-south trail as well as links from the MBTA Station in Newburyport to Byfield and points south.

 

NEWBURY B2B COMMITTEE, NEWBURY

The Town of Newbury created a new committee to represent the town’s interests in the Border to Boston Trail project and related trail matters.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

CTC has representation on the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission’s Regional Off-Road Trails Advisory Committee, the Massachusetts Trails and Greenways Task Force, and the Massachusetts Community Path Coalition, a new nonprofit organization being created to advocate for the development of shared-use paths across the state.

 

EASTERN MARSH TRAIL INTERPRETIVE SIGNS, SALISBURY

The Town of Salisbury has produced three interpretive signs and two entrance signs for the Old Eastern Marsh Trail. The signs were funded by a $2,000 grant from the Essex National Heritage Commission, a $1,500 grant from CTC and a $650 grant from the Salisbury Cultural Council.  CTC volunteers researched and designed the signs, which will be installed when the Old Eastern Marsh Trail is completed. 

 

BIKE RACK GRANTS

CTC has offered $1,000 grants to the communities of Amesbury, Newbury and Salisbury to support installation of bike racks at locations chosen by the towns.  In addition, CTC made a $5,000 grant to the City of Newburyport to purchase equipment for the Clipper City Rail Trail.

 

YARD SALE FUNDRAISER

CTC, under the leadership of long-time trail advocate and Newburyport resident Mary Harbaugh, hosted a yard sale in September to raise funds for enhancements to Newburyport’s Clipper City Rail Trail. The event raised $2,500.

 

NEWBURYPORT EARTH DAY

CTC hosted a walking tour of the Clipper City Rail Trail on April 19 as part of the Newburyport’s Earth Day celebration organized by SEED (Seacoast Energy and Environmental Design).

 

GREENWAY SOJOURN PRESENTATION

CTC sponsored a presentation on May 8 at the Newburyport Public Library on the inaugural Greenway Sojourn organized by the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.  CTC president, Bill Steelman, and David Read, chairman of the Border to Boston Trail Coalition, recounted tales from their participation in the weeklong 335-mile journey from Washington. D.C. to Pittsburgh.

 

TRAILS AND SAILS WEEKEND

CTC hosted a trail walks on September 27 and 28 on the Old Eastern Marsh Trail as part of the Essex National Heritage Commission’s Trails and Sails Weekend.

 

GREEN EXPO

CTC was among the 55 exhibitors visited by approximately 800 people at the Green Expo held in Newburyport on November 14 and 15. The second annual event was organized by the Greater Newburyport Eco Collaborative.

 

FLATBREAD COMPANY FUNDRAISER

CTC was the beneficiary of a November 18 fundraising event held at The Flatbread Company in Amesbury.