Residents Share Concerns With Proposed Shoreline Trail In Guilford

Guilford, CT - Not all Guilford residents are happy about the Shoreline Greenway Trail construction that is about to begin.

According to The Guilford Courier, 30 residents attended the Sept. 19 Board of Selectmen meeting to protest the project.

The Courier states that residents shared their concerns with the BOS, which included safety concerns and property rights.

A petition by residents garnered 300 signatures, all protesting the Shoreline Greenway Trail.

According to the report in The Courier, Guilford resident Patricia Klindienst told the board that the protesters "'oppose the building of any segment of a greenway or a bikeway through Guilford until there is a publicly available plan including a map of its route for its entire length through Guilford, from Madison to Branford, approved by the Guilford BOS. This plan must included detailed elevations, maintenance requirements for both the town and the adjacent land owners, as well as a budget for building and maintaining the bike path long-term.'"

However, according to The Shoreline Greenway Trail's website, the response has been positive.

"The Town’s Board of Selectmen and Shoreline Greenway Trail Guilford Team members agreed this year to begin preparations for a nearly one-mile section of Trail funded with Federal and State grants. Once approved, the segment will be built adjacent to Route One – and completely off the road – beginning at East River bridge on the Madison town line to Boston Street (beginning of Route 146). The response to the proposed Trail from Guilford town leaders and the public has been very positive. We are grateful to First Selectman Joe Mazza for his support and to Guilford Town Engineer Jim Portley, who has worked closely with Guilford Team Leader Milton Charlton on the design of the plan. Milton has also reached out to virtually all of the eighteen private landowners in the Trail area, and all have expressed support of the Trail."

The Shoreline Greenway Trail team is asking supporters to turn out for an upcoming meeting, according to its website:

"We urge the public and our 950 Guilford donor-supporters to attend a critical Town Public Hearing which will be held on – a new date – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST at 7:30PM (NOTE: the BOS just changed the date from October 12) at the Community Center, for Guilford residents to voice their opinions about a Shoreline Greenway Trail section along Route One in Guilford, which is ready to be built. The Guilford Board of Selectmen tabled their decision whether to move forward on this section of Trail until after this hearing."

Read the full article in The Guilford Courier here.