Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 7/5/2023
BELCHERTOWN — On June 24, state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) and state Rep. Aaron Saunders (D-Belchertown) were at the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail to present a check for $55,550 for the trail’s next phase.
The presentation recognized the funds secured by Oliveira’s amendment 262 of the Economic Development Bill passed in the fall.
The check was presented to Town Planner Doug Albertson, Town Administrator Steve Williams and members of the Select Board.
Albertson said the town is actively working to raise funds for the next phase around Foley Field Athletic Complex and toward the Lampson Brook Farm to connect into Carriage Grove, which will also include a fully accessible sensory trail.
The Lake Wallace Sensory Trail enables wheelchair users and everyone else to enjoy nature safely.
The trail includes specially-design components like tactile markers, braille signs, and a cable guide to reach users who may not see but can experience the landscape uniquely.
Albertson said he was encouraged to receive the funds from the state for the next phase of the project.
He added, “I think it is affirmation of just how good a project this is that it addresses so many different elements in town. History, recreation, ecology, other sciences and stuff like that but also the way it sort of ties together the past of the state school and present of where the town is now redeveloping the state school and bringing things into the future with all the things going on up there.”
Oliveira expressed gratitude for the accessibility the trail provides while highlighting the positive impact the trail has on the area.
He said, “I’m incredibly proud to have secured funding through the Economic Developmental Bill alongside my colleague state Rep.Aaron Saunders to ensure that this beautiful trail can continue to make engagement with the natural world accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The extension of the trail will support housing choice and economic development in the area and increase the positive impact the trail has had on the town.”
The Lake Wallace Sensory trail is a project that was announced over five years ago as an eventual town-wide Belchertown Heritage Trails Network.
It is located along the skate park and the wetlands at the edge of the former Belchertown State School, now known as Carriage Grove.
The goal of the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail is to be fully accessible linking Jessica’s Boundless Playground to Foley Field athletic complex.
“This is the core of the coming network and will directly connect to the redevelopment of the former state school, known as Carriage Grove,” Albertson said.
Construction of the half-mile portion of the trail began in June 2021.
Albertson said, “All of this is coming together. It is like this convergence of things, and it is great for the town. The cultural council and Belchertown Community Alliance have some big things going on. They are putting in a sculpture garden along the first part of the trail and we have applied for money for a small park in that area.”
Right now, the trial ends at a little cove at Lake Wallace.
According to Albertson, the plan for Phase 2 is to build a bridge over Lake Wallace and continue the trail along the edge of the pond, go around the back side of Foley Field Athletic Complex and loop back to itself, go up to a field overlooking the Lampson Brook farm and the Mount Holyoke Range and connect back to Carriage Grove.
Albertson said although he is appreciative of the funds the town received, more funds still need to be raised to complete Phase 2.
“Fifty thousand dollars is an excellent gift, it is a good start, but it is not the whole thing,” he added.
The design and permitting are done, so all funds raised go to construction.
The town has applied for a housing choice grant, which Albertson predicts will be announced in October or November, and if the town receives the funds they can get right to work.
Albertson added, “Right now, we have our plans entirely ready to complete the project, the whole second phase and we are about to get our final permitting done. We applied for another state grant to do construction. We will be ready for that as soon as we get the funds to do it.”
The area the trail is currently on was a neglected field that included a lot of overgrown plants and dead and broken trees.
The field was cleared out to make it look nicer for the trail.
“It’s gone from being the forgotten part of the state school kind of tucked away out back by the dumpster to becoming more of a front door. Especially with all of the cultural things that are happening there, I think it is a nice introduction to the whole project,” Albertson said.
“There is a lot of really good things happening there. People think it’s just a trail, but it is not. It is dressing up the whole area and drawing people there which could be the start of this critical mass of increasing visitation by people out of town looking for ways to spend money,” he added.
The money from the Economic Development Bill will go a long way to leveraging other grants, according to Albertson.
Albertson added that Phase 2 will finish the project.
He said, “This will finish the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail. There is a very rough informal trail that goes around the lake and that could never be made accessible, but some people think you should bring things all the way around the lake, but we can’t.”