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JAMESTOWN – Work on a trail that would connect Jamestown’s urban and natural landscapes is slated to get underway this weekend.
The Chadakoin Adventure Trail will connect Love Elementary and Jackson-Taylor Park, in what city officials hope will not only provide safe passage for young kids but help them learn about nature as well.
Constructed in phases, the trail is made possible through a Kaboom Play Anywhere grant from the Chautauqua County Health Network and City of Jamestown.
The City’s Director of Development Crystal Surdyk is among those kicking off construction on Saturday morning, with work continuing throughout the summer.
“The first phase is really getting the nature-play area set up, getting some of those paw prints on the sidewalks,” says Surdyk. “Some of those will be painted, so we’ve got some stencils. Planting the pollinator garden at the school and probably some other planting in and around the nature-play area as well.”
Groups like the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and Audubon Nature Center are also giving input to the project, to help bridge the gap between the manmade and natural landscapes.
With that, paw prints will be incorporated within the trail, as well as a pollinator garden at Love Elementary and a nature-play area in Jackson-Taylor Park.
The city is also working alongside the New York State Department of Transportation to make crossing busy roadways, like Washington Street for example, easier. When work on the roadway gets underway later this summer, traffic calming measures will be added.
“The second phase we will actually be working with the Department of Public Works to install signage and there will be some sidewalks along 10th Street, which is part of the route, that need to be replaced,” said Surdyk. “So we’ve coordinated that with DPW to make that part of this project as well since we have to do it anyway and they will get some stamped paw prints or animal tracks in those new concrete sidewalks that are poured when that happens.”
The project is also honoring late City Councilwoman Vickye James who fought hard to make this possible prior to her passing.
“She was really excited about this project and a big advocate for it and it seems very fitting that this will be in the nature-play space and it’s the trailhead of this project,” says Surdyk.
In the end, none of this would happen without the community itself, and Surdyk is looking for more volunteers to step up.
“We’re really excited and we can’t wait for build day and we hope we get a good turnout of community members that wanna volunteer, throwing some dirt around and getting your hands dirty and we’re really looking forward to it. There’s still time to sign up to volunteer,” explains Surdyk.
To register for Saturday’s work session, visit the city’s website at JamestownNY.gov. Once the initial aspects of the trail come together this weekend, city leaders expect it to be ready for public use immediately.
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