A width of 20 feet has been cleared so there is plenty of room to walk or ski.
Squannacook River Rail Trail reopens from Townsend center to Harbor Church
Tree cutting between Depot Street in Townsend center and Harbor Church in Townsend Harbor is now complete! We welcome everyone to use the section of the trail shown in the map, now that it has been widened to its full 20 foot width. The fence behind Sterilite is still to be installed, but that should not close the trail to walkers or skiers. And keep an eye open for volunteer days next spring to complete opening this rail trail for walkers, runners, and mountain bikers. 

The rail trail has now been cleared from Depot Street in Townsend center to Harbor Church and is open for walking and cross-country skiiing.
Everyone at Harbor Village has been a great help to us in building this rail trail
Our thanks to Harbor Village for all their cooperation

Our thanks to Harbor Village for all their cooperation in allowing us to access the rail trail for construction from the rear of their mall. Special thanks to Rite Aid, the Wine Nook, and the Wireless Zone (Verizon) for their help in moving their dumpsters to allow the construction vehicles room to enter. Please thank them for helping to make this rail trail possible when you stop by!
What is the plan for construction of this rail trail?
Squannacook Greenways has decided to take a staged approach to construction of this rail trail. This decision was driven by two factors: 1) our limited Nov - Mar window for construction equipment, 2) large increases in the cost of removing old ties and large decreases in the value of scrap steel. Our plan is to clear the entire corridor of trees this year, which may well take up this year's entire window. In addition, we will also be installing a fence behind Sterilite to ensure users are not tempted to access the rail trail from their shipping area. We will then build 1/3 of the trail in each of the following three winters. In between, we will be applying for MassTrails and other grants to cover the additional costs not anticipated in our original capital campaign. Between the winter build periods, there will be volunteer days like the two very successful one we held recently to make progress with hand tools - thanks again to everyone!
Granite pillar and granite bench donation still available

Squannacook Greenways will honor donors of $1000 or more with their names on a granite pillar to be placed along the Squannacook River Rail Trail, and donors of $5000 or more their names on a granite bench.  These are still available until construction finishes.


Squannacook Greenways | [email protected] | www.sqgw.org
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