Through a partnership of the MRV Trails Collaborative, we have received the state of Vermont’s largest VOREC grant of the year! More than $408,000 is coming to the MRV to connect the Mad River Rider’s (MRR) 60+ miles of trails in Camel’s Hump State Forest to the new Recreation Hub and visitor’s center that the MRV Chamber will establish next to LocalFolk Smokehouse. MRR is planning a pedestrian and bicycle bridge that will span the Mill Brook and connect Seriously Sharp Way to the field below LocalFolk where new parking will be created. From there, the Mad River Path is working closely with the Town of Waitsfield, VTrans, and private landowners to build a new path across Rt 100 from the field below LocalFolk up to Main Street in Irasville. Two crosswalks and the new 1/4 mile path will connect pedestrians and bicyclists to north and south of the Rt 100 and Rt 17 intersection—a major barrier to people on foot or bike for decades.
The MRV Recreation District is generously administering the grant and helping lead the overall project. Friends of the Mad River will help with the ecological sustainability of the project, which will include a vegetative buffer along the Mill Brook. The grant provides funds for the MRV Trails Collaborative to work with the community to create our long-term vision for trails across the valley as it relates to the stewardship of our natural world. The MRV Planning District has also been a significant help with pulling together the application and project components.
While the VOREC grant is an enormous step forward to making this project possible, there are still steps that MRP and partners are working on this spring and summer. Some permits are still needed from the Town and the State, for example, however the permitting processes are expected to go smoothly as we have done much due diligence over the past several months to grease the skids, as they say. The Mad River Path also has additional fundraising to complete through other grants and donations from the community (keep an eye out for this soon!).
This project, which will be completed by 2023, is only possible because of incredible private landowners, who include John Morris/LocalFolk Smokehouse, The Laskowski Family, David Dion/MRV Real Estate, the Cunningham Family, and owners of The Blue Stone.
You can find more info about VOREC, which stands for Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economy Collaborative, at https://fpr.vermont.gov/VOREC.