(rshsdepot) Worcester, MA

["Jim Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

=46rom the Worcester Telegram & Gazette...

Station's first tenant turns rails to trails

Friday, July 20, 2001

By John J. Monahan
Telegram & Gazette Staff

WORCESTER-- The Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national group that helps
convert property along abandoned railroad lines into parks and bike and
hiking trails, has become the first rent-paying office tenant in the
restored Union Station.
Craig P. Della Penna, New England representative of the organization,
yesterday was still unpacking a small library of rail history books and
photos, detailed maps, and trail plans as he discussed the conservancy an=
d
its work.
The office at Union Station is the organization's first in New England, h=
e
noted, pointing out that until last week he was working out of his home i=
n
Agawam.
He said the Rails to Trails Conservancy is assisting with 100 rail trail
projects in New England, including the planned bicycle trail from Provide=
nce
to Worcester, with much of the route running alongside the Blackstone Riv=
er.
Plans call for the bike path to eventually lead up to the doors of Union
Station.
The office will provide technical assistance to communities in converting
former railways into recreational paths and parks. Working in the office
will be Mr. Della Penna and Elizabeth Goodrich.
Philip J. Niddrie, Worcester's chief economic development officer, said t=
he
city is very pleased to have the organization as a tenant in the restored
train station.
=93We think it is a great match for what we want to do at the station,=94=
 he
said. =93This is a small tenant, but it sends a signal that we are trying=
 to
create activity.=94
He noted that the conservancy intends to conduct regional meetings in the
city, and selected Worcester because of its central location and easy
commuter rail access.
The city wants to lease 15,000 to 20,000 square feet of office and retail
space at the station.
In addition to the Blackstone bike path, Mr. Della Penna said, there are =
a
number of other rail-to-trail projects being planned in Central Massachus=
ett
s.
The projects include completion of the Central Massachusetts stretch of w=
hat
will be the state's 104-mile east-west Trail. The trail, presently known =
as
the Wayside Trail, would run from Belmont through Hudson and Berlin. The
central section, known as the Mass. Central Rail Trail, will go through
Boylston, West Boylston, Holden and Rutland.
In coming years, Mr. Della Penna said, Worcester will become a key stop o=
n
the East Coast Greenway, which will extend from Calais, Maine, to Key Wes=
t,
Fla., on a railway route that passes through Worcester, Providence and Ne=
w
York City.
Worcester, he said, is =93ground zero=94 because so many planned rail tra=
ils
will converge here.
Mr. Della Penna said those unfamiliar with rail trail conversions may not
realize that they offer more than recreational opportunities for bicyclis=
ts,
snowmobilers and hikers.
=93This is not just about bikes,=94 he said. =93These corridors ... can r=
evive
neighborhoods. The tracks get pulled up and what had been something of an
eyesore becomes an economic engine.
=93When you take that rail corridor and make it a linear park, the first =
thing
we do is get a Friends of the Trail organization started so it will be we=
ll
maintained,=94 he added. Afterwards, garden clubs frequently use the area=
s for
community gardens.
It all can spur rehabilitation of homes adjacent to the former railways a=
nd
lead to businesses such as ice cream shops and bicycle stores opening up
along the trails.
He said 65 proposed rail trail projects are on the drawing board or under
way in Massachusetts. Some of the projects include the 11-mile Nashua Riv=
er
Trail, which will run from Ayer to New Hampshire with a dual surface for
bikes and horseback riding, as well as a rail trail in Southbridge,
Sturbridge and Brookfield that will link a number of regional conservatio=
n
areas and parks.
Also, a portion of the Assabet River Trail has just opened in Marlboro, a=
nd
the entire project is to be completed in three years.
Mr. Della Penna said the pace of converting railways to parks in the stat=
e
has been frustratingly slow in recent years but the situation is improvin=
g.
State legislators, he said, have helped streamline the process of obtaini=
ng
necessary permits and funding from state and federal agencies.

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #115
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