By CHRIS LINDAHL
@cmlindahl
Daily Hampshire Gazette
SOUTHAMPTON — The state has awarded a $50,000 grant that will pay to construct a bridge over the Manhan River, connecting conservation land in Easthampton and Southampton.
State and local officials — as well as trail users from across central and western Massachusetts — gathered in front of the Nancy L. Whittemore Conservation Area in Southampton on Thursday, where Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Carol I. Sanchez announced recreational trail grants. Much of the money, which totals $800,000, went to Pioneer Valley communities.
A $50,000 grant — one of the largest announced — was awarded to the city of Easthampton, town of Southampton and the Pascommuck Conservation Trust. The grant will pay for the construction of a bridge over the Manhan River that will connect the Whittemore property in Southampton with the Pomeroy Meadows conservation area in Easthampton.
State officials said the partnership is a model that will help realize the dream of developing a series of interconnected trails across the state.
“Bringing the two entities together creates something much larger than the individual pieces,” said Dick O’Brien, chairman of the Massachusetts Recreational Trail Advisory Board, which works with the DCR to review grant applications.
The vision of trails connecting all corners of the state is called Commonwealth Connections, and was developed 15 years ago by the Appalachian Mountain Club, the National Parks Service and other groups across the state. It’s still a work in progress, O’Brien said.
“When we do (realize it), the quality of life for us in all of our communities will be raised,” he said.
Sanchez said the model is a good one because though the state is helping to fund the Easthampton-Southampton trail, the work will be done by those communities.
“Wouldn’t it be great to connect the entire state, and the communities still have ownership of their own backyard?” Sanchez asked.
Work to construct the bridge will begin next fall, according to Charlie McDonald, chairman of the Southampton Conservation Commission.
The fiberglass bridge will be 54-feet long and 5-feet wide. The grant will also help pay for an elevated, 250-foot long trail that will run from an existing trail in the Whittemore area to the Manhan River, and a smaller connector will also be built on the Easthampton side, McDonald said.
If any money remains, a few parking spaces will be built in front of the entrance to the Whittemore area on Meadow Lane in Southampton, he added.
In the end, the success of the project depends on how many people are willing to volunteer, McDonald said. “It’s predicated on how much volunteer sweat equity we can get in here,” he added.
The Whittemore Conservation Area has been owned by the town for several decades, though trails were created only two years ago as part of an Eagle Scout project by Troop 205 in Easthampton.
Community Preservation Act funds helped pay for several bridges and a lookout spot at a vernal pool last fall.
The connector to the future bridge will be built near the vernal pool. Because it’s such a delicate habitat, work must take place in the fall to ensure for the least amount of environmental impact, McDonald said.
The former Northampton-New Haven Canal — which runs through the property, with a tow path where animals pulled barges — is a prominent feature of the landscape, McDonald said.
He said he hopes residents recognize this unique space and pitch in to help the efforts for people to enjoy it. “It’s community building — that’s the thesis,” he said.
The DCR also awarded grants to several other area projects:
– $40,000 to the Broad Brook Coalition to replace a bridge and rehabilitate and extend a boardwalk and dock at Northampton’s Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area.
– $35,058 to the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board to operate educational programs in Northampton.
– $20,745 to the Chesterfield 4-Seasons Club for purchase of a new storage building for snowmobile and emergency equipment, reclamation of two historical sites in the Chesterfield Gorge and clearing undergrowth and installation of new signs.
– $12,532 to the Mill Valley Snowmobile Club in Belchertown to purchase new grooming drags for their snowmobile trails.
– $10,778 to the DCR to pay for a seasonal “Ridge Runner” on the National Scenic Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts, located in Cheshire. That person will provide information to visitors and work with volunteers to maintain the trail.
– $9,365 to the Hadley Snowmobile Club to purchase snow-grooming equipment and for the maintenance of trails in Hadley and surrounding communities.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at [email protected].
