2025 Annual Giving Campaign: A path forward
Dear Mad River Path Community,
The scoping study for the Path connecting Warren to Middlesex is now complete. In a year, we moved the project from a concept to a corridor, endorsed by the Agency of Transportation. But the work is just beginning!
It is one thing to study the possibilities. It feels good, like reading a good book. Turning the study into physical reality on the ground will be a test of our community’s capacity to walk our talk.
At the beginning of the project, the historic investments in active transportation through the bipartisan Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Acts were promising swift progress. At the study’s completion, the words inclusive, equitable, and low carbon are redacted from grant applications, and funding has slowed to a trickle, like the Mad River in a drought.
The political chaos would be an excuse for setting the project aside until “better times”. Yet a better thing to do is to redouble our efforts and begin building the path. This is an opportune moment when what seems bad can be turned into good. Is the absence of federal funds an opportunity to build the path differently? What if instead of spending 2 million per mile, we organize weekend building parties? What if, instead of a 4-year waiting period associated with federal grants, we make agreements with the willing landowners and connect the existing segments with efficiency and community spirit?
The next year is about finding a path forward, manifest community, improve safety for children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups, and create conditions for sustainable economic growth and less car-centric valley.
In 2026, with your support, we will:
Build the organizational capacity to move from scoping to implementation
Organize an effective five-town implementation coalition
Begin improving the existing sections of the Path for accessibility and inclusivity
Seek federal, state, and private grants for the implementation of phases I and II of the ATC
Secure funding for and conduct demonstration projects along VT-100 (a prerequisite for receiving federal funding)
Engage in dialogue with the landowners to find win-win solutions for path connectivity
Continue to promote active transportation through e-bike lending
Complete Attitude of Gratitude recreational ethics project
Offer affordable nature immersion opportunities for children, families, and adults
Please join me in sustaining the work of Mad River Path. Our goal is to raise $130K by December 19, 2025
- Misha Golfman, Executive Director