ATHOL — Athol has teamed with partners to launch a crowdfunding campaign to make recreation on the Millers River more inclusive.
The town is joining the Millers River Watershed Council and the Friends of the Alan E. Rich Environmental Park to buy and install a handicap-accessible canoe and kayak dock on the river. The campaign through Patroncity.com will also help pay for new seating, a short-term kayak storage rack, and signs to direct kayakers to destinations along the river.
Watershed Council Director Ivan Ussach said the council has been accepting donations for the dock through a PayPal account on its website. He said enabling everyone access to the river is a cause “very dear to our hearts.”
The project will win a matching grant with funds from the Commonwealth Places programs of MassDevelopment — the state’s economic development and finance agency — if the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $5,000 by midnight on April 20. Tax-deductible donations can be made online at bit.ly/2nFAfFF.
Commonwealth Places is a collaborative effort from MassDevelopment and Patronicity that leverages public support for placemaking projects through crowdfunding and a matching grant from MassDevelopment.
Eric Smith, Athol’s director of planning and development, said the dock will mirror one in Orange and improve access to the six-mile Millers River Blue Trail connecting Orange and Athol. The Athol dock, slated for installation near the Alan E. Rich Environmental Park, will be within walking distance of downtown Athol, which Smith thinks will entice tourists with shopping and dining options.
Smith also said a mural of some sort is planned for the park.
He explained Athol has received a $26,379 Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation trails grant, but is still short the $5,000 needed for the dock, which has been permitted by the Athol Conservation Commission and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Construction and installation could begin this spring if the money can be generated.
“This accessible dock will provide people with physical challenges canoe and kayak access to the Millers River Blue Trail, where they can spend time paddling, enjoying nature, fishing, and learning the history of the river,” Tom Rich of Friends of the Alan B. Rich Environmental Park said. “Improving access to this 6-mile trail will help connect downtown Orange to downtown Athol, providing residents of these two towns with endless opportunities for recreational activities on and around the water.”