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2016-10-05 / Front Page Print article Print UVM students designing Toonerville Trail beautification project By TORY JONES BONENFANT toryb@eagletimes.com Bicyclists ride on the Toonerville Trail, which will soon extend to the business district. — TORY JONES BONENFANT Bicyclists ride on the Toonerville Trail, which will soon extend to the business district. — TORY JONES BONENFANT SPRINGFIELD — Two science students from the University of Vermont are planning a design project on suggestions to beautify the Toonerville Trail’s new extension. Once it is completed later this fall, they will present to the Springfield Selectboard. “Mainly, we want to provide visuals and design ideas that will help rally support in the community,” said Holly Greenleaf, one of the students working on the design study. Greenleaf said the study will involve land use for the existing trail and a planned trail extension. The plans include adding more vegetation, not only to benefit the river, but also for the community, to create “culturally important spaces,” she said. The Springfield Selectboard received a grant this summer through the Vermont Agency of Transportation that would help fund the 3,250-foot, $455,513 extension of the Toonerville Trail, a popular walking and recreation trail that runs along the Black River. The proposed trail extension will develop the existing trail through Springfield Regional Development Corp. land and between the Black River and the former J and L facility, connecting with the business district. Greenleaf and Jason Kokkinos, both candidates for a Master of Science in UVM’s Plant and Soil Science Department, have been conducting site analyses since this spring, and have been working on a design project to supplement the planned trail extension to the business district. The two are working on the project as an independent study and service learning opportunity at UVM “to aid the town of Springfield with getting folks on board with ecologically, economically, and culturally beneficial designs that celebrate the town's character and history and provide positive benefits for people, wildlife, and stormwater management,” Greenleaf said. “We’re excited to be working with Springfield … it’s nice to branch out to other areas of Vermont,” she said. Greenleaf said that the design study for the trail along the Black River could also be an opportunity for restoration in the industrial river area. Their professor, Stephanie Hurley, is overseeing the project. Greenleaf said on Tuesday, Oct. 4, that UVM was approached several months ago to see if the department could come up with some kind of design for Springfield. She was not sure who had asked for the university’s input, but said that it came in the form of an email that “sat in inboxes for a while” until Hurley heard about the project, Greenleaf said. “She was really interested in the project, and she wanted to get her students interested in it,” Greenleaf said. Kokkinos and Greenleaf, who both reside in Burlington, had a meeting in the spring and decided to create an independent study. They traveled to Springfield and spoke with George McNaughton, a member of the Springfield Selectboard, and with Kelly Stettner with the Black River Action Team (BRAT) and Bob Flint, executive director of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation (SRDC). Everyone had a different idea, and “there was a lot going on” with other designers and engineers, she said. The two students began work drafting their plans. Greenleaf and Kokkinos will not be paid for the design study. It is considered an independent study project to go towards their master’s degree in plant and soil science, Kokkinos said. They are still in the early stages of their designs, but in general, they plan to provide “graphic visualizations and conceptual design ideas for beautification of the Toonerville Trail,” meant to supplement the planned extension, he said. “We are very happy to be working with Springfield,” said Kokkinos. Kokkinos said the students’ focus will be on the start of the path near Paddock Road, and on the green space between the Jones & Lamson manufacturing complex and NorTrax. “We hope to illustrate, through graphic art, ideas for these areas which would promote ecological integrity of the Black River, the cultural heritage of the town, a place for gathering and community, and a visual vibrancy for those entering the town from the south,” Kokkinos said in an email. Kokkinos said the students do not have plans to publish their work. They plan to provide electronic and hard copies to the Springfield Selectboard to “leverage additional funding” or further engage the community around the trail's beautification, he said. Kokkinos said they are very early in the process, but have drafted site analyses for the areas they are designing. The draft is meant to help the two make decisions on design plans, which will be “more artistic and computer-aided at times,” he said. Greenleaf, who has professional design experience, said the drawings are in rough form at this point and that the two students plan to visit Springfield again and share the final design plans in November or early December at a regular meeting of the Springfield Selectboard.
"Science" students. Right!
ReplyDeleteBetter than "Select board" students.
Delete