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| By Sarah M. Corigliano Assistant Managing Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Last Wednesday, U.S. Representative Richard Neal (D Springfield) announced to the community that he had helped to secure $1,440,000 for the East Longmeadow Redstone Rail Trail project. The project, which involves the town's Department of Public Works (DPW), the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) and MassHighway, as well as the East Longmeadow Redstone Rail Trail Advisory Committee (RRTAC), is almost ready for the bidding process. James White, co-chair of RRTAC, told The Reminder he is excited about the project moving forward. Construction on phase one, he said, which will run along abandoned rail line between Denslow Road and Maple Street, could begin as early as next fall. In the future, he said, phase two would take the path from Maple Street to the North Main Street area. Phase one will connect riders, walkers and other bike path users to East Longmeadow High School and its athletic fields, the fields in the center of town, businesses on Maple Street, and other locations adjacent to the path. "We truly couldn't ask for a better location in town," White said. "[The bike path] goes through the heart of the community: centers of employment, shopping, arts, schools and churches." He added that the funding announced last week by Neal will allow the town to achieve all of phase one of the bike path, and part of the second phase. "A lot of the ground work is already done for phase one, really only the final approvals are necessary," he added. Those approvals, according to Jeffrey McCollough at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, involve landscaping and signage review by MassHighway, who will be the contracting authority for the project, since it uses federal funds. "I guess you could say we're 90 percent done," McCollough said. He said he has worked on 20 rail trail projects in the Pioneer Valley, and that East Longmeadow's project has gone well. "The community support has been really great in East Longmeadow," he said. "It's a real pleasure to work in a community with such enthusiasm. From the DPW, to the Conservation Commission, the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen ... everywhere you turn there's support for the project." While this latest news comes a year or more before construction will begin on the actual trail, DPW Senior Project Manager Sean Kelly explained that this has been in the works for several years. "We [the DPW] were instrumental in securing ownership of a great portion of the abandoned rail trail in May 2003," Kelly explained. He said, at that time, the town was also in the planning stages for the sewer project which was recently completed along the same tract of land. According to the PVPC, using this tract of land for the sewer project as well as the future rail trail allowed for a savings in sewer construction costs, prevented detours and street closures, and also allowed for the installation of fiber optic communication cables on the land. The total cost of land acquisition for the project was $186,000, he said. And while the project will be contracted out by MassHighway, Kelly explained that his department will be the local contact. "It's a little different from a normal job," he explained. "Even though the town has the money, MassHighway retains control. As such, they are the ones who will put the job out to bid the state will be the ones cutting them a check." The funding, which Neal said he helped secure earlier this year, fell under the provisions of the federal govenment's "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users," also known as SAFETEA-LU. |