Construction funded by all our donors and:
Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us the opening of phase 2 of the rail trail under beautiful blue skies. Thanks especially to our guests of honor, State Senator John Cronin and the entire Shepherds team, without whom phase 2 would not yet exist!
We all at Squannacook Greenways were heartbroken at the loss of our long time president and close friend Steve Meehan. Without Steve's intelligence, charm, determination and humor, this rail trail would have faded long ago, instead of rapidly approaching construction. Every time we walk or ride this rail trail for years to come, Steve will be with us in our hearts. And check out our page of pictures of Steve that also lists those who donated to our cause in his memory.
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After more than a decade of work by our board and dedicated volunteers, construction of the Squannacook River Rail Trail is now well underway. Here's a brief overview of what has happened so far, and what our plans are for completion. All future phases depend on our winning grants, and so definite timetables are not yet set.
| Year (Nov-Mar)/Phase | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Entire 3.7 mile rail trail | Bill King cleared the entire 20 foot corridor of trees; Max13 installed a fence behind Sterilite |
| 2020/Phase 1 | Entire 3.7 mile rail trail Depot St. to Old Meetinghouse (Townsend) |
Keystone removed the steel rails from the entire rail trail. Shepherd's did a great job completing the first 1.1 miles of the stone dust rail trail |
| 2021/Phase 2 | Old Meetinghouse to Harbor Church (Townsend) | Thanks to Senators Cronin and Kennedy, and Representative Harrington, money was available for construction. Shepherds, the contractor who did such a great job on the first section, also built this section. Completed in April 2022. |
| 2022/Phase 3 | Northern Crosswinds to Bertozzi (Groton) | Groton town meeting in May 2021 approved Community Preservation Act funding for the 20% matching funds for construction of this section. We won a MassTrails grant for $96,000 in July 2022. Construction will begin in Nov. 2022, and opening is expected in April 2023. |
| 2023?/Phase 4 | South St (Townsend) to Northern Crosswinds (Groton) | Senator Cronin and state legislature earmarked $50,000 for phase 4 in Aug 2022, so we are making progress toward funding this section. With luck, construction will start in Nov. 2023, and this final section will be done in April 2024. |
In a word, you! The Squannacook River Rail Trail is being built by a local non-profit, Squannacook Greenways, with money from grants and donations only. The trail will be maintained by local volunteers.
During the pandemic, Board of Directors meetings of the non-profit Squannacook Greenways are being held on-line.
Contact us at info@sqgw.org