2010
Nov. 16, 2010: Somerville Chamber
of Commerce awards the Friends or the Community Path a PowderHouse
award: Somerville
Journal
Nov. 10, 2010: City and MBTA
working on new lease for the Path that will allow a 1,500'
extension: Boston
Globe Somerville
Journal
Oct. 24, 2010: Boston.com posting
(click
here, read down a little) on losing federal TIGER II grant
competition
Press and photos about our walking Tour
of the Community Path: Sept. 30,
2010 Boston Globe article;
Sept. 29 Patch.com article;
and Oct. 7, 2010:
Somerville Journal article;
July 18, 2010 Sunday Boston
Globe article (read down a little) on Comm Path not being included
with Green Line: http://tinyurl.com/2agyelz
July 16, 2010 Somerville News - Mayor Curtatone on Comm
Path not being included with Green Line ext.: http://tinyurl.com/36vsoyl
May 15, 2010 Let's repeat 2-year old Transportation
success in Somerville: ttp://tinyurl.com/3xjjq78
January 2010 - Community Group ties Path to Green Line
extension: http://tinyurl.com/ycc39ej
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Background, History and More Contact
Info
-
The Friends are a local community group dedicated
to the idea of extending the so-called "Bike Path" from Davis
Square, through Somerville, to the Charles River and beyond.
-
-
The Friends work closely with the City of
Somerville Office of Strategic Planning & Community
Development; our contact is Kathleen Ziegenfuss at 617-625-6600
x2519. Any residents with concerns or ideas about the path are
encouraged to contact us, or Kathleen at the City.
-
- In the fall of 2000, the City of Somerville commissioned a
feasibility study. Copies can be found at the website of the Somerville Bicycle Committee:
617-625-6600 x2519
- The Friends of the Community Path formed on May 31st, 2001
after the publication of the feasibility study.
2003 News:
- Funding to design the Cedar to Central
Street segment has been secured, and the design contract is in
progress! Another series of public hearings will be held when this
design reaches the 25% state. Join our email list to be
notified.
-
The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation has provided $10,000 of funding, in support of health.
-
A line item to fully fund path
design was placed into the environmental bond bill in July 2002,
by State Representatives Toomey, Ciampa & Jehlen. A technical
flaw in the drafting will make this funding difficult to
spend.
Selected Accomplishments of the
Friends of the Community Path
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ongoing Advocacy for the
Community Path extension
-
Meeting with and writing letters to local, state,
and federal officials? about the local and regional significance
of the Path, especially in relation to the Green Line extension
(GLX).
-
Participating in meetings about the GLX and in
current GLX Design working group meetings.
-
Collaborating with local groups like Somerville
Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP), Groundwork Somerville
(GWS), Shape Up Somerville, Somerville Community Corporation
(SCC), the Somerville Bicycle Committee, and Mass Central Rail
Trail, to advance progress on the Path.
-
-
Gathering hundreds of Path support letters to
submit to federal and state officials.
Education and Awareness
-
Made “the Community Path” a household phrase on
the lips of state and local government officials and politicians,
non-profits, advocacy groups, community members, and the
press. People love the Community Path and want it to be
extended with the Green Line.
-
Emphasizing that proposed Community Path extension
will be a shared multi-use path – a Community Path – and not
simply a bicycle path.
-
Conducting periodic walking tours of the proposed
Community Path, including the one on September 25, 2010.
-
Tabling and parading at Artbeat, Spice of Life,
Mystic Herring Run Festivals. Raised funds & spirits
with the Bicycle Canoe rig.
-
Organized City clean-ups at the Cedar-to-Lowell
section of the Path (2001-2006).
-
Conducted community outreach about the path
including organizing a series of community meetings, presenting at
homes abutting the path, door-to-door outreach, etc.
(2001-2003).
Grant Successes
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/node/11501
-
2003 Won a $50,000 Tourism grant from
the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. This was joint
application with the City of Somerville for the City to do early
path design (before the Green Line extension was definitely
happening).
-
2003 Won a $10,000 Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation grant for the City to do early path design.
-
2003 Won a $10,000 Bikes Belong grant.
-
2003 Won a $1,000 Ben and Jerry’s
Foundation grant.
-
2002 Won a $200 Fields Pond
Foundation grant.
How the funds we've raised have been
spent:
- Donated
$5,000 to the City of Somerville to pay Pan Am Railways (formerly
Boston & Maine RR) to file for federal abandonment of
trackage rights to the
abandoned track from Cedar St. to
Lowell Street (2006).
- Contributed
$8,000 for Junction Path Park, to show community support in
the City’s grant application to construct the park and new
path segment (2008)
http://www.somervillema.gov/Section.cfm?org=OSPCD&page=1321
- Committed
$5,000 from our funds and procuring an additional $5,000 match
for the City of Somerville’s Tiger II grant application for
Path Construction
(2010)
http://www.somervillema.gov/cos_content/documents/TIGER%20II%20Application%20and%20Appendix%20FINAL%209_7.pdf
- Materials
and printing (flyers, maps, etc.), other expenses to organize
City and State support for the Path’s extension (event tabling
fees, networking
workshop fees, etc.), and actual Path
construction (such as matching federal
grants that require
local matching funds).
Promoting the Importance of the
Path
Locally: The Community Path and Green Line
extensions will run near 6 Somerville public schools to create safe,
active routes to schools (and work) with good air quality, helping
to fight the epidemics of childhood obesity and asthma.
Regionally: This extension of the 13-mile
Minuteman Trail will eventually link to the 17-miles of Charles
River path, connecting 37+ miles of path network through Bedford,
Lexington, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford to the Red
and Green Lines (in Cambridge and Somerville) and to Boston,
Waltham, and Watertown.
Graphics and Photos
for Download
-The Friends of the Community Path |
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