Dear Supporter,
We need your help! We don’t have much time to make a big difference.
This fall the Town of New Milford will break ground on the Young’s Field Riverwalk & Greenway—a project that has been in the works since 2007—which is a key link in our dream of creating a bike/ped trail that follows the Housatonic from one end of town to the other. Funding of $180,000 from Housatonic River Natural Resources Restoration Project must be used by December 31, 2016.
The project calls for:
- Strengthening the shoreline against further erosion and planting of native New England trees and shrubs along the Young’s Field Road shoreline.
- Constructing a ¼ mile riverfront recreational trail that runs from Veterans Bridge to Patriot’s Way.
The available funding is only enough for the town to surface the trail with gravel. The New Milford River Trail Association would like to ensure that the trail has an environmentally-friendly, paved surface that can accommodate everyone—joggers, moms with strollers, people who use wheelchairs, bike-riders, and walkers of all ages.
We have received a green light from our friends at Public Works to raise the additional funds necessary to ensure this happens. But to do this, we need to raise $15,000 by September 30.
Here’s the good news! NMRTA has already come up with $10,000 of that money- $5,000 in commitments from local donors, and $5000 that we have already raised from previous fundraising efforts. We are now asking local businesses, residents and advocates who support opening our waterfront for the enjoyment of everyone to help us raise the final $5,000 by Sept. 30. Donors of $250 or more will see their names on a plaque by the riverfront once the Young’s Field trail segment is complete.
To make a tax-deductible donation for this project, click here.
With a thank you from all of us,
The New Milford River Trail Association Volunteers!
