$150K Swampscott Rail Trail Donation To Help Design, Completion

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — A $150,000 donation from the Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail will help the continued design and construction of the trail for pedestrians and bicyclists on the former railroad bed.

The Swampscott Select Board this week voted to accept the gift the community group gathered through private and business donations.

"We are grateful to the Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail for their hard work and generous donation," said Director of Economic & Community Development Marzie Galazka. "The completion of the design work is critical to achieving our construction goal and providing off-road, cross-town connection to our neighborhoods, schools, and the region."

The Swampscott Rail Trail extends from Bradlee Avenue to the Marblehead town line and is part of the Border to Boston Trail and East Coast Greenway. When completed, officials said it will run for two miles from near the Swampscott Commuter Rail station to the existing Marblehead Rail Trail.

Among the many donations to the Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail was a generous donation from the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust and a $25,000 donation from Aggregate Industries. Volunteers have also been fundraising at the Famers Market this summer, with bicycle sales, sales of bicycle bells and stickers, and a raffle of Red Sox tickets courtesy of Cataldo Ambulance.

More information on the trail can be found on the Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail website here and the town website here.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)