Construction funded by all our donors and:
 Click the brick to donate online! |
Donate $150 to our buy-a-brick fundraiser online here until April 30th. All Townsend bricks will be installed in summer 2021 as soon as work on the parking area is done, so these final bricks will be ordered from the supplier May 1st. Groton bricks are scheduled to be installed in two years when the east end is complete. Trail contruction is 80% funded by MassTrails grants that we hope to continue to win yearly until the trail in done in three years. The money raised by this fundraiser will go to matching funds in the later years of construction. See all the previously donated bricks here. |
Not only are Shepherd's great at building rail trails, they are also talented when it comes to making videos about their work. Check out Andrew Shepherd's drone video showing laying down the final aggregate layer.
And check out lots more construction pictures!
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:
| Year (Nov-Mar) | 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 | Entire 3.7 mile rail trail Depot St. to Old Meetinghouse (Townsend) |
Keystone removed the steel rails from the entire rail trail. Shepherd's is nearing completion of the first 1.1 miles of the stone dust rail trail |
| 2021 | Old Meetinghouse to Harbor Church (Townsend) | We are applying for a MassTrails grant for construction of this 0.7 mile section - grant selection will be announced in June 2021. Funds for required 20% match have already been raised. |
| 2022 | Northern Crosswinds to Bertozzi (Groton) | We are applying for Groton Community Preservation Act funding for the 20% matching funds for construction of this section. We will be applying for the other 80% of the cost through the MassTrails grant in Jan. 2022. |
| 2023 | South St (Townsend) to Northern Crosswinds (Groton) | Definitive plans for funding construction of the final section of the Squannacook River Rail Trail will be finalized in 2022. |
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