WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik submitted an order of appropriation for $25,000 to purchase an inactive railroad spur, to provide access to the Columbia Greenway from South Broad Street. He submitted the order to the City Council Thursday night. The Council sent the appropriation request to its Finance Committee for further consideration.
Knapik’s request also presented an order of taking for the rail spur property to the council in that motion.
“This is the old rail spur that went to the Strathmore Paper plant on South Broad Street,” Knapik said Friday. “We spoke with the present owners of the plant, Sullivan Transportation, and they said they have no use for the spur which is inactive since that section of railroad track was abandoned.
“The $25,000 purchase price is compensation based upon an appraisal process,” Knapik said.
The spur will be one of two access points to and from the rail trail, Knapik said. The other access point will be to East Silver Street, just east of the existing rail road bridge which will be removed and replaced in the future.
Knapik said there is a long, gradual access next to the houses east of the Columbia Greenway trail that will be developed in the next extension of the rail trail.
The Columbia Greenway rail trail became a reality last year when construction of the first 5,000 feet of Phase 1 of the linear park was completed. The trail was built from the Southwick town line, across Shaker Road, to an area just short of Tin Bridge and Little River. A parking lot, accessed through the Shaker Farms Country Club parking lot, was also completed last spring.
Further construction of Phase 1, to extend the trail to East Silver Street, was planned for this spring, but has been delayed because of an appeal filed by Cross Street property owners relative to the transfer of a section of the Cross Street playground from the Parks and Recreation Department to the School Department for construction of a new elementary school.
That appeal, under Article 97, froze all grant funding for recreation to the city.
Knapik had submitted a request to the City Council Thursday night to accept a $2 million Columbia Greenway grant from the state, but then withdrew that immediate consideration request.
“We are getting ready to roll when the $2 million grant comes through,” Knapik said of the $25,000 appropriation to purchase the South Broad Street rail spur. “We thought that the $2 million grant would be arriving shortly, but now expect it will be coming within the next 30 days.”
The city is currently soliciting public comment as part of the National Park Service process of allowing the Cross Street playground transfer. The comment period concludes on April 26.
“We expect to turn it around quickly and send that information to the National Park Service,” Knapik said.
The grant freeze should thaw with the conclusion of that process.
