Recreational Access to the River

RECREATIONAL ACCESS TO THE RIVER

To showcase the beauty of the corridor, and the environmental restoration projects sponsored by this project, a recreational trail has been developed. This includes two modes of recreational access to the River Corridor, hiking and paddling. A new map of the Greenway Trail system was installed in 2013.

A box containing maps for hikers was installed as well.

Hiking Trail

A hiking trail has been constructed along the 2.2 mile corridor, along the floodplain of the River. The trail has two access points. The Trailhead is located behind the Kimchuck building, at Eagle Road and Corporate Drive. There is also a secondary access point behind the Marriott Hotel, also on Eagle Road.

An important feature of the hiking trail is the “Bedoukian Pedestrian Bridge”. In the summer of 2000, an aggressive fundraising campaign successfully recruited generous corporate sponsors to donate to the bridge construction to increase our capital for the bridge construction to $120,000. By July of 2001, all of the necessary building, planning, and environmental permits were secured for the project. The bridge design specification was developed into a bid package in July and advertised for bidding. The low bid for the bridge was $168,500 - considerably higher than the funds available.

However, a final fundraising push in August 2001 raised the necessary capital for construction. The City awarded the construction contract to Hudson Machine Works of Brewster, NY. A construction contract was executed in November 2001, which initiated construction. After five years of planning, design, permitting, and fundraising, the first pedestrian bridge for the Still River Greenway was finally built. This pedestrian bridge allows hikers to walk the entire length of the Greenway trail.

Paddle Sports

The river corridor can also be accessed by canoe and kayak, as there are no areas of white water. At low flow periods, the river may be so shallow that canoes have to be portaged for short sections. Nevertheless, it is considered passable at most times of the year. On December 1, 2001, thirty (30) volunteers, working under the direction of Peg Daley (Housatonic Valley River Trail) and Mark Cummings (Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Division), installed a ramp that will be accessible to the public for launching canoes and kayaks. The Boat Launch is located behind the Marriott Hotel on Eagle Road. It features a walkway from the parking lot of the hotel to a ramp location that is conducive to launching canoes and kayaks. This location marks the opening point of the Housatonic Valley River Trail that runs the entire length

of the Still River and continues down the Housatonic River.

Handicap Accessibility

Providing access to a section of the Still River Trail for individuals who are physically disadvantaged is an important feature of the project. Therefore, a “Handicap Access Zone” has been constructed at the trailhead, behind the Kimchuck building at the corner of Eagle Road, and Corporate Drive. The design features of this handicap accessable walkway include a wheelchair accessible concrete surface and a modified gradient to the floodplain, with a railing and appropriate signage.