Brookfield First Selectman Bill Tinsley on Monday night hailed the “perserverance” of the town’s Director of Parks and Recreation Dennis DiPinto for his 15 years of diligence in assuring the completion of the Still River Greenway project.
DiPinto never lost his passion for the project, and pushed state, federal and local leaders to keep this as a high priority.
On June 24, town residents voted to provide the 20 percent match $481,400 - for the just-under two mile, 10-foot wide asphalt path suitable for bikes, wheelchairs, strollers, walkers and joggers. The total cost is $2.4 million, the bulk of which is to be paid for through federal grant funds. The hope is that construction will begin by spring; it is expectedit will be take about a year to complete.
Tinsley and the fellow selectmen said that without DiPinto’s tenacity this project might not have come to such a successful end.
If you want to get a taste of the greenway, you can walk the first phase, or about one-eighth of a mile, that begins just beyond the Police Department off Silvermine Road. That paved portion now leads into a more natural, southern loop walking trail that runs along the river just under the Route 7 highway.
In the coming month, stay tune for events intended to introduce people to the greenway, and celebrate what all leaders say will be a “town treasure.”
Dennis DiPinto, Director of the Brookfield, Conn, Parks & Recreation Department.