A bike path for Marion has the support of selectmen and residents, and encouragement from outside agencies, but what it still lacks is funding – approximately $300,000 in order to get the wheels turning for Phase I of the envisioned pathway that would run 5.5 miles from Mattapoisett to the border of Wareham.
The next step for the Marion Pathway Committee is to revitalize the Friends of the Marion Pathway Committee to spearhead fundraising strategies and events to raise the Town’s portion of the funding for engineering costs before state and federal agencies will provide the remaining $1.96 million for construction of Phase I.
The Marion Pathway would be one spur of the East Coast Greenway project, linking Providence to Provincetown, as part of a larger project that strives to one day link Miami to Maine through a series of bikeways all along the eastern seaboard.
Jeff Oakes of the Pathway Committee led a presentation on September 29 that included several slides of photos depicting the current state of the areas slated for the bike path, and then stepped aside to allow fellow Pathway Committee member John Rockwell give a bit of history on the progress of the pathway concept.
Rockwell said the town has been conceptualizing and striving toward a bike path in Marion for decades, and he himself has been biking along the Tri-Town area for around 25 years.
“I’m happy to say there are a lot more bike riders out riding around,” said Rockwell, but unfortunately, there are also a lot more vehicles on the roads, leading to some dangerous stretches of windy road. Rockwell said the committee envisions a safe area for kids to learn and ride their bikes, even to school at ORR, and a place for residents to bike and walk safely between the village and other points in Marion.
Residents have long expressed support for a bike path system in Marion, even stretching back to 1974 when the bike path was first mentioned within that year’s Marion Master Plan. According to Rockwell, who showed slides of data accumulated over the years, residents who were surveyed from 1986 through more recent years showed overwhelming support for a bike path system in Marion.
Phase I of the bike path would begin at the Mattapoisett Industrial Park, follow the abandoned railroad way to the intersection of Spring and Front Streets, over to Washburn Park and across to Point Road. Phase II will continue from Point Road to County Road to the Wareham town line. Designated parking areas would be located at the Mattapoisett Industrial Park, as well as at Washburn Park and along Point Road.
The pathway would link other parts of Marion to the village, as well as several Sippican Lands Trust properties along the pathway route.
The meeting the committee held at the Marion Music Hall served as an update for residents on the status of the bike path project’s progress, which has passed the initial planning and land acquisition phases. Application submittals to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation are ongoing, and eventually the process will move into the planning and building phase when the Town will apply for state and federal funding so the Town can solicit engineering services.
The most important phase now, though, is to reestablish the Friends of the Marion Pathway Committee to get initial fundraising off the ground.
A Marion bike path system would offer pollution-free community routes to various points of interest and business within town – including the schools – and encourage cycling by giving cyclists an alternative to Route 6.
The Pathway Committee emphasized the health benefits of cycling for recreation, while connecting bike riders with prominent town locations and conservation land.
“We are in the process for getting in line for some funding,” said Oakes, “[but currently] the funds are spoken for until 2018.” Oakes stated that, although other municipalities are ahead of Marion for state and federal funding, other projects could potentially fall through, allowing Marion an opportunity to jump ahead.
Oakes believes that if residents show enough support through fundraising efforts, the likelihood of receiving further support could increase.
“It may be more palatable at Town Meeting if there was some grassroots support,” stated Oakes.
Selectman Stephen Cushing said after the presentation that the bike path has always had the support of the Board of Selectmen.
“There’s an obvious need for a bike path,” said Cushing. “It’s kind of a logical thing to do,” he added, referring to linking up with other bike paths in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. “It makes sense.”
How can you help the Marion Pathway Committee build momentum toward realizing a bike path for Marion? Join the Friends of the Marion Pathway Committee, and “Like” the MPC’s page on Facebook. The committee implores residents to share their enthusiasm with other residents and to take a walk along the planned route and try to imagine what it will be like. The committee encourages Marion residents to share their ideas and keep an eye on the committee’s website (currently under construction) to which the Town’s website, www.marionma.gov will provide a link.
By Jean Perry
