“It’s a peaceful place where I can watch the moon rise and the sun set, see wildlife, and walk almost every morning,” says Berta Andrulis Mette of the Litchfield Community Greenway. Very soon, countless others will be able to say the same. Connecticut Community Foundation contributed $4,800 in grant funding to Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway (FLCG) for phase two of their project to continue the development of the Greenway trail for recreation (walking, bicycling, running, and cross-country skiing) while protecting important habitats.
Ultimately, the entire completed 4-mile trail will be a safe, serene, non-motorized path that will connect the center of Litchfield with Bantam, following the historic Shepaug railroad route.
Slated to be completed by June 1, the new section of trail will link the western end of the Ghost Trail with the recently improved Pine Island Trail of White Memorial Woods. Importantly, a footbridge that traverses a stream in the area will be replaced.
“We are ready to go! The necessary approvals, funding, and manpower are in place to proceed,” says Andrulis Mette, vice president of the FLCG board.
The group has been developing the trail as a “natural greenway”—a hard-packed stone surface rather than paved—and supportive volunteers continually maintain the route.
“The Greenway is a community treasure.” says Andrulis Mette. “When the entire Litchfield Community Greenway trail is completed, one won’t have to travel a state highway – with no sidewalks – to get to two important areas, Litchfield and Bantam.”
[Photos used with permission of FLCG]
