BRIDGEWATER — Town Manager Michael Dutton is pleased to announce that the Town of Bridgewater has received a federal grant through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) program.
The town was awarded $448,337.50 by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the National Park Service for the Stiles and Hart Parkland Improvement Project. The Bridgewater Community Preservation Committee recommended in 2022 that $1.3 million in funding be appropriated for the project. The LCWF grant will help to offset a portion of those allocated funds.
The project is part of a five-year community preservation plan and the 2017 Open Space and Recreation Plan, which focuses on rehabilitating existing facilities and improving safety and public access to outdoor recreational space. The project is currently in the planning stages with construction planned for the summer of 2023. The project is estimated to be completed by the end of 2023.
The improvement project consists of five major components:
- Improved and added parking
- A new trail layout using existing and new trails
- The construction of multiple footbridges
- Improved canoe launches
- New trailhead locations and interpretive signage for environmental and historic areas of the parkland
The project also aims to add fully accessible trails, fishing platforms, widened trails and more.
“We are grateful to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Land and Water Conservation Program and the National Park Service for their support of the Stiles and Hart Parkland project,” Town Manager Dutton said. “We look forward to improving the Stiles and Hart Parkland and ensuring our community members have a place to connect with nature.”
Stiles and Hart Parkland is a 75-acre nature preserve that intertwines with the Town River with existing walking access off of High Street and Broad Street.
The Town also recently hired a parks steward to assist the Parks and Recreation Department, specifically in the Parklands. Regular trash pickup, brush cutting, trail maintenance, hardscape upkeep and cleanup will be the responsibility of the parks steward and a group of trained volunteers.
About Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants:
The LWCF Grant Program was established by Congress in 1964 to fulfill a bipartisan commitment to safeguard the country’s natural areas, water resources, and cultural heritage and to provide recreational opportunities to all Americans. Using zero taxpayer dollars, the fund invests earnings from offshore oil and gas leasing to help strengthen communities, preserve local history, and protect the national endowment of lands and waters. Any municipality with an approved Open Space and Recreation Plan, the Departments of Conservation and Recreation and Fish and Game, and Massachusetts federally recognized tribes are eligible to apply for this program.
Since its inception, the LWCF has funded $4 billion worth of projects in every county in the country.
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