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Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD On Thursday afternoon, the temperature was in the 90s, but along the Connecticut Riverwalk there was a slight breeze and plenty of shade. Just watching the flowing water of the Connecticut River added a little psychological coolness. Although the sounds of Interstate 91 are in the background, one could also hear the birds and cicadas in the trees. "Isn't this great?" Sheila McElwaine asked, while walking along the pathway. McElwaine is part of a grassroots movement in the city that has planned a week of events to draw attention to the bike and walkway along the Connecticut River. The riverwalk runs from the Longmeadow line to the Chicopee border near Watson Street. It is one segment of a planned walkway that would, if ever completed, link communities along the Connecticut River. McElwaine, Alicia Zoeller and Robert McCarroll are among the residents who have organized Riverwalk Week starting July 21 to spotlight what they think is one of the city's under-used gems, Riverfront Park and the walk-way along the Connecticut River. McElwaine and her colleagues have assembled a collaboration between a number of businesses, organizations and citizens to make the week of activities happen. A major contributor, Health New England, will sponsor a Thursday event at 11:15 a.m. and has donated the production and printing of 5,000 copies of a brochure about the riverwalk that will be distributed around the region. Springfield resident Ambassador Mark Hambley donated T-shirts for the Thursday event. The Trustees of Reservations in Holyoke provided crew of 13 and two supervisors from the Youth Conservation Corps to do several days of clean up along the path and cutting down brush that obscured a clear view of the river. Lunches for them were donated by Fusion Onyx Restaurant, 3hree Cafe, and Uno's. Also sprucing up the park was a crew of summer workers from the Massachusetts Career Development Institute working under the direction of Michael Cass who heads the city's anti-graffiti effort. There will be guided tours of the riverwalk at 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. during the week and at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the weekend. Springfield residents and downtown workers providing guided tours of the trail next week include Attorney Peter Benjamin, Ed Lonergan from the Central Library, downtown resident and retired planner McCarroll, social worker Liz Bramson, and architect and downtown resident Phil Burdick. Resident Gary West made an assessment of the condition of the elevator near LA Fitness that allows walkers to have access to the riverwalk from the Basketball Hall of Fame complex and recommendations for repair at no cost, McElwaine said. McElwaine said her motivation to stage the event was to honor her friend, the last city planner Linda Petrella whose efforts made the park possible. She said a typical reaction of people seeing the riverwalk for the first time is "We didn't know this was here. It's so nice, so close." | ||||||
