East Haven opens a new trail section!

December 19, 2012

East Haven Mayor Maturo cuts the ribbon! photo by Jennifer Higham

A wonderful ribbon-cutting event in East Haven on a sunny October 4 marked the opening of the first completed 1½ mile trail of the Shoreline Greenway Trail in East Haven – from  D. C. Moore School, down Pevetty Drive, through the Farm River State Park to Short Beach Road.  The Stony Creek pink granite final topping completes the trail for use not just by walkers, but by bicyclists and families with strollers.  The next step is to expand the trail thru the Bradford Preserve.

Mayor Joseph Maturo cut the ribbon with local politicians and the East Haven volunteers who worked on the trail.  Barbara Brow, Chair of the East Haven Shoreline Greenway Trail team, thanked everyone for their help, saying “You are the wind beneath our feet.”

East Haven SGT Team at Oct 4 Trail Opening celebration. photo by Jennifer Higham

The entire East Haven route will be approximately 3 ½ miles connecting on the west with New Haven to Lighthouse Point Park, and connecting on the east at the Farm River with Branford’s Shoreline Greenway Trail section, and then continue through Guilford and Madison to Hammonasset State Beach Park.

As she shared the many diverse steps needed since we began in 2002,  to complete East Haven’s first granite-topped trail and Trailhead, Barbara reminded everyone that “trail building doesn’t happen quickly; it has taught us that Patience is truly a Virtue, and Persistence a Necessity”.  She commended many people for their willing collaboration with her East Haven team:

* Ned Taylor’s Boy Scout Troop 401, with Eagle Scouts Justin Richardson and Adam Burr leading the projects to clear all the trail sections in East Haven with their hard labor, and to build the Trailhead kiosk and bollards in the new parking area.

* EH SGT Team members for their dedication and commitment

* photographer Jennifer Higham

Walking the finished East Haven trail after the Ribbon Cutting. Photo by Jennifer Higham

* East Haven Land Trust former president, Dr. Charles Schlegel and present president Donna Maturo.

* Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. and Arthur DeSorbo,  Director, Administration &  Management

* State Representative James Albis,

* East Haven Public Works

* former Mayor of East Haven April Capone

* Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro who helped us secure federal matching grant funds to support our trail building efforts

*State Legislators for securing matching grant funds to satisfy the federal grant

*special thanks to State Senator Len Fasano for his continuous support and for taking a lead role to advocate for the EH SGT Town Team

*our Board chair, Chip Angle, our Board of Directors, and our four Town Teams

* our 2,500 family members