$300,000 Award Expands Norwalk River Valley Trail To Redding

From NRVT: Following a highly competitive round of grant applications, the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT) has been awarded $300,000 to construct the Redding Mile. Construction of this section of the 5-town trail will be the first section in Redding. The grant, awarded from the Recreational Trails Grant program and administered by the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), marks the third grant awarded to the NRVT.

“It’s very exciting to see the Norwalk River Valley Trail coming to Redding” stated First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton, “I applaud the hard work of the trail’s steering committee and our Redding residents.” A shovel-ready trail design, community support, and successful fundraising, supported a high ranking of the application, which led to the award. The NRVT was one of 74 applicants competing for a portion of the $3,000,000 available. In the end, 20 projects were selected to receive grants. The $300,000 is only a portion of the $390,000 total cost for the Redding Mile. As a matching grant program, the RTG requires the recipient to raise the balance.
Just over $58,000 has been raised, leaving a $32,000 gap.

To date, Norwalk and Wilton have been the only two towns who have successfully built this trail. The section called “WilWalk,” which spans the two towns’ boundaries, likewise received an RTG grant. This section is designed and preparing to seek permits, with the expectation to build a portion in 2019. A separate grant source will provide partial funding for Norwalk to build “The Missing Link,” also envisioned for 2019. The City of Norwalk has already approved funding to pay for what the grant does not cover.

President of the NRVT Patricia Sesto stated, “With the exception of WilWalk, all trail construction has been funded through private donations, and in the case of Norwalk, municipal funding. Even the grant for WilWalk has a 20% match that is now partially raised through private donors. We are very grateful.” Stuart Green, NRVT town-leader for Redding, added, “Based on the reactions in Wilton and Norwalk, the Mile will be a great addition to our town. Once this section is built, I know our community will be thrilled and eager for more.”

Sections already built in Wilton and Norwalk have been touted as leading community assets, with a trail census in Wilton documenting up to six thousand users a month. The Redding Mile, located in the rolling woodlands between Pickett’s Ridge Road and Fire Hill Road, will be constructed in 2019. Ridgefield is hopeful to share in similar success and build an adjoining 1.5-mile section to the south in 2020.

The overall plan for the Norwalk River Valley Trail is to construct a thirty-mile trail, connecting Rogers Park in Danbury to Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, passing through Redding, Ridgefield, and Wilton. To date, approximately eight miles have been completed in Norwalk and Wilton Tax deductible donations to close the gap for the Redding Mile or WilWalk can be made through the trail’s website, NRVT-Trail.com. Questions can be directed to Executive Director, Charlie Taney at ctaney@NRVT-trail.com.

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