Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Trail Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Friends of NRVT ask city and volunteers to resolve Riverside section maintenance
Summary
Friends of the Norwalk River Valley Trail told the Bike Walk Commission the newest Riverside section opened recently has unclear maintenance responsibility; the nonprofit and city departments are negotiating mowing and snow removal arrangements.
Nancy Rosette, a board member of Friends of the Norwalk River Valley Trail and the Norwalk lead for that board, told the Bike Walk Commission the Riverside section of the NRVT that opened last spring has generated questions about who will mow and remove snow.
Rosette said that in the four other towns through which the NRVT runs, the Friends organization handles fundraising, design procurement and maintenance. In Norwalk, the city initially managed those functions, but the Riverside segment is not located in a city park and therefore did not fall clearly to the Recreation & Parks crews. That left the Transportation and Mobility Program (TMP) without appropriate crews or equipment to maintain the corridor.
Rosette said the Friends group and the city's Department of Public Works (which includes Recreation and Parks) worked together through the summer and fall to keep grass trimmed, but both sides faced limited resources. She said the Friends organization does not remove snow on trails in the other towns and lacks capacity to do so in Norwalk. Rosette said she and city staff are meeting with DPW in a couple of weeks to negotiate a maintenance approach that could combine city crews and volunteer support.
Commission staff advised that residents who encounter unsafe or unmaintained trail segments should report issues through the city's Click and Request app to ensure the request is routed to the appropriate department.
During the meeting commissioners requested a map showing the exact segment in question. Staff described the area: the segment begins north of Union Park near Mott Avenue and runs north to about 123 Buchanan Avenue; that portion is currently not being maintained by a single city unit, staff said.
Rosette asked the commission and other residents to allow several weeks for the city-DPW-Friends negotiation to conclude. She said the parties are optimistic they can agree on a maintenance plan that mixes city resources and volunteer efforts.
