September 2006:The Acts of 2006 earmark $250,000 in the Massachusetts Community Investment Capital Program. This funding, which is subject to bonding, is for plans for the French River Greenway linking the Quinebaug Rail Trail with the Midstate Trail, and was obtained by Senator Richard T. Moore.
October 2006: The National Park Service, under its Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, granted a partnership formed by the French River Connection, assistance for a year in organizing the French River Greenway planning effort. The grant was subsequently extended through October 2008.
November 2006: A Steering Committee, consisting of partners in the National Park Service grant, and other interested parties, is formed to steer the further planning and development of the trail and perform appropriate tasks.
January 2007: A $10,000 grant received from Fields Pond Foundation enabled the initiation of baseline mapping tasks while awaiting Community Investment Capital funds. A contract was awarded to CMRPC for this task, which was completed in the summer of 2007.
Upcoming events
The next meeting of the French River Greenway Steering Committee will be December 16 at 7pm at the Dudley Senior Center
March 2007: A Prospectus describing our vision for the Greenway, the advantages to the community, and the various arrangements available for securing right of way, was published.
April 2007: To better address specific tasks, the Steering Committee designated a Land and Ownership Team to prioritize and secure access needed for the trail, a Design and Management Team to address overall design and construction issues, and an Events and Outreach Team to encourage public participation.
May 2007: The University of Massachusetts completed a study identifying potential cartop access points along the river. The "Blueway" identified in the study is a companion to the French River Greenway.
October 2007: A second Prospectus, for the urban "Webster Riverwalk" portion of the Greenway was completed.
August 2007:: CMRPC completed baseline mapping tasks and landowner/abutter identification tables funded by the Fields Pond grant
June 2007: A Scope of Work document for the planning authorized in 2006 was completed and forwarded to the state Administration and Finance Department.
February 2008: A trail-making roundtable discussion was held at which representatives from the Wachusett Greenway, Massachusetts Riverways, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation shared their experience and insights.
April 2008: A trail-building day was held in which 15 volunteers cleared a part of the Perryville Loop. This is the first segment of the trail on which on-the -ground was was done .
April 2008:The French River Connection agreed to a renewable license agreement with one of the owners of the Perryville Loop. This is our first such agreement.
May 2008: Initial documentation for a Webster Riverwalk trail log was completed. This documents the conditions along the proposed route as found, and work to be done, with options, to create the riverwalk
May 2008:The "Perryville Trace", a half-mile woodland path running north from Perryville Dam, is open for non-motorized use.
June 2008: The French River Connection agreed to a renewable license agreement with a downtown landowner for permission to create a key portion of the Webster Riverwalk
July 2008: The Perryville Trace was formally opened to the public on July 12. Read more about the Trace here.
August 2008: $250,000 for the French River Greenway was included in the Environmental Bond Bill signed by Governor Patrick
September 2008: Work began on clearing French River Park, a riverside parcel in Downtown Webster which will anchor the Riverwalk.
January 2009: Partnering with the Dudley Conservation Land Trust and an Oxford Citizens' Group, fundraising began to purchase 4 acres at 52 Dudley Road in Oxford to be used as a trailhead and paddling access point. Read more here.
June 2009: The Dudley Conservation Land Trust completed the purchase of 52 Dudley Road, to be called Leovich Landing in honor of the former owner. The land will be used as a cartop paddling access point and a trailhead on the French River Greenway when an access agreement is obtained for adjoining land.
October 2009: The French River Connection and the Town of Webster completed a lease agreement with Holden Block LLC, owner of 1.66 acres of riverfront property in downtown Webster. This will be the site of French River Park, which will anchor the Webster Riverwalk, an urban section of the French River Greenway. This was followed by a donation of $30,000 from the Webster Redevelopment Authority.
October 2009: Following two months of cleanup activities, including the removal of invasive knotweed, Leovich Landing was dedicated to public during a gathering at the site on October 24. Planning and permitting issues will now be addressed before further work commences.
