Androscoggin Greenway Public Workshop
January 5, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information:
Jonathan P. LaBonte
Androscoggin Land Trust/LA Trails
info@androscogginlandtrust.org
(207) 782-2302
Future of Land and Water Trails Focus of Upcoming Workshop
LA Trails Program to seek input on priorities for the Androscoggin Greenway Plan
Auburn - Building on decades of investment in parks and new trails along the Androscoggin River in Lewiston-Auburn, and boosted by the recent report from the National Park Service identifying the Androscoggin as a New England priority, the LA Trails program of the Androscoggin Land Trust will host a public workshop on Thursday January 5th at 6 PM hosted by the Hilton Garden Inn – Auburn Riverwatch.
The Androscoggin Land Trust, through LA Trails, has secured grant funding from the Environmental Funders Network’s Quality of Place Initiative to expand on the planning for an Androscoggin Greenway, a continuous land and water based trail network through Lewiston and Auburn that would link to the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park to the north and eventually south to Lisbon and Brunswick. With support from both cities, the National Park Service, and corporate partners like the Hilton Garden Inn, ALT has hired Wright-Pierce, an engineering consulting firm, to complete the technical components of this planning.
The first phase, an inventory of all existing trails, open spaces and public lands along the river corridor from Gulf Island Pond south towards the Maine Turnpike overpass of the Androscoggin, was completed this fall. The next step, assessing walking and biking routes, water access and water views along the Androscoggin Greenway was done by hosting several “walking audits” of a series of loops that serve to connect key neighborhoods or business centers in the heart of the community to the river corridor.
With that work complete, LA Trails and Wright Pierce have compiled the ideas and comments and have identified emerging priorities for broader community discussion. The discussion with the Lewiston-Auburn community on January 5th will help to further refine the Greenway Plan by setting actionable priorities for both short term and long term projects that the cities of Lewiston and Auburn, as well as non-profit partners like the Androscoggin Land Trust,
can implement in a coordinated way.
“National and state funders have taken an interest in the growing potential of the Androscoggin River to support economic growth and improve quality of life for residents,” states Androscoggin Land Trust director Jonathan LaBonte. “With the recent release of a National Park Service report recommending targeted investment in the Androscoggin because of its potential as a recreation heritage corridor, this planning and priority setting becomes all the more important to the region.”
When and Where:
Androscoggin Greenway – Public Workshop
Thursday January 5th
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Hilton Garden Inn – Auburn Riverwatch
Great Falls Plaza, Auburn, Maine
The Androscoggin Land Trust is a membership supported organization dedicated to protecting, through land conservation and stewardship, important natural areas, traditional landscapes and outdoor experiences in the Androscoggin River watershed. ALT offers recreational programs in the region include LA Trails, serving Lewiston-Auburn, Chisholm Trails, serving Jay and Livermore Falls, and the Great Falls Paddling Society, offering seasonal outings on the Androscoggin River.
For more information about the Androscoggin Land Trust, please visit our website at http://www.androscogginlandtrust.org/ or our offices at 86 Main Street, Suite 201 in Auburn.