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The East Forest Park Civic Association’s next meeting will be Wednesday, January 10, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Cross School on Plumtree Road. The main item on their agenda will be a forum on the Highland Division Rail Trail. A group of citizens will be airing a number of questions and concerns via a neutral moderator. Members of the Friends of the Highland Division Rail Trail, along with representatives from Community Policing and the Planning Department, will be there to answer questions and address concerns. If you (or your family, friends or neighbors in the East Forest Park area) want to learn more about the trail, we encourage you to attend. This will be the easiest way for you to show you want the trail to become a reality, and to learn more about it, so please attend if you can.
This section of the former Highland Division right-of-way is approximately 1.7 miles long and is 66 feet wide. The proposed Rail Trail will extend from Watershops Pond near Springfield College, cross Allen Street and Sumner Avenue, and end at the Springfield-East Longmeadow line near Kelly-Fradet Lumber.
click on map for oversized image!
Many people who have heard about the Highland Division Rail Trail are under the impression that it’s a "done deal" and that it will be completed in a short time. In fact, the Rail Trail is in the very beginning stages. Here’s what has been accomplished so far:
In September 2000 members of the Friends of the Highland Division Rail Trail and student volunteers from Springfield College spent an afternoon clearing trash and brush along a short portion of the existing rail corridor.
In October 2000, the architectural design firm, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., contracted with the City to develop a design for the proposed Rail Trail.
Over the next year, the first phase of the design process will involve site evaluation and survey work over the 1.7 mile-long railroad property. During the second phase, Greenman-Pedersen will secure all necessary environmental permits. Before any design is developed and any decisions taken, the designers will hold a series of public and private meetings with concerned citizens and trail abutters. The concerns of abutters will be addressed in the final design process and included in complete engineering and design specifications for the proposed trail, which will be submitted to the City. In the final phase, the firm will submit final estimates on the costs of construction. Which brings us to funding.
Funding: Federal and state funding for conversions of abandoned railways into linear parks require that each stage of the process be completed before funding for subsequent stages is considered. Currently, no funds for either acquisition of the property from the rail company or construction of the trail have been or allocated.
Process: There are many events that may transpire to prevent the trail from ever being built, including significant community opposition after a fair and open consideration and discussion of the facts has occurred. This is why it is important for folks to attend the East Forest Park Civic Association Meeting to express support for this project. Communities and neighborhoods are unique and, while there are many statistics we can employ to "prove" whether the Rail Trail is a corridor of crime or a corridor of community, the hope of the Friends of the Highland Division Rail Trail is that we do not jump to a war of numbers crunched in ways that prevent us from keeping open minds about the Rail Trail and not jump to conclusions. The process has only just begun. Please join us.
Want the Highland Division Rail Trail to become a reality? Get involved! Join the Friends! There are opportunities available in Fundraising, Public/Business Outreach and more. Call Dan Fraizer or Susan Joel at 827-0852 for more information on how you can help!
The next meeting of the Friends of the Highland Division Rail Trail is scheduled for Friday, January 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Goodwill at the X. Please come!
President - Art Catellier
Treasurer - Tina Manos
Secretary & Publications - Michelle Ryan
"We believe the Highland Rail Trail will be an important and valued improvement to the neighborhoods it comas in contact with by bringing people of the neighborhood together to support each other and improve the quality of their lives." - Dan Fraizer
"What makes me most enthusiastic about the proposed Rail Trail is that I will have a public park within a very short walk of my home. / won’t have to dnve to Forest Park with my three kids, two bikes, a stroller and my dog just to take a nice, long walk The Rail Trail will be a more accessible and viable public space for all the citizens of our neighborhood."- Michelle Ryan
"Open space that we can walk to, meet our neighbors, and appreciate for the quiet and natural setting is in short supply in my neighborhood. This is why many residents of the neighborhood and the City support it."- Susan Joel
Copied on March 25, 2001 by Kenyon F.
Karl <Webmaster@new-england-rail-trails.org>.
Unintentional errors are likely!
