Community group raises $27,795 for Litchfield greenway boardwalk

Willimantic, CT (06/26/2020) — After an $11,500 match from the Sustainable CT Community Match Fund, Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway now has $27,795 for the construction of a 140-foot boardwalk on the greenway route in Litchfield.

This portion of boardwalk lies in an important stretch of the greenway along a winding road and will offer a safe alternative for traveling. The installation of the boardwalk will move the Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway toward completing phase three of the project.

"I cannot wait until the boardwalk is completed," said Berta Andrulis Mette, vice president of the community group. "We have developed a nearly two-mile stretch of greenway and it's a wonderful town asset that is enjoyed and appreciated by so many. People can travel it on foot, bike or in a stroller, and we are moving ever closer to connecting the villages of Litchfield and Bantam and giving our community a safe, non-motorized path to travel between the two! When we reach the completion of phase four, the greenway will span nearly four miles. We could not be this far without the generous contributions and support of private donors and grantors."

Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway will now start to order material and begin construction, which is expected to be completed by July 15.

The project was supported by a crowdfunding campaign that received a partial dollar-for-dollar match from the Sustainable CT Community Match Fund, which is an initiative of the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University that is funded by the Smart Seed Fund, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Connecticut Green Bank. The crowdfunding campaign raised funds from approximately 100 individual donations.

About Sustainable CT and the Community Match Fund

The Sustainable CT Community Match Fund is an innovative funding resource that provides a dollar-for-dollar match to all donations raised from the community, doubling local investment. The program is helping to bring projects across the state to life by providing fast, accessible funding as well as fundraising coaching and support to residents and organizations with great ideas to make their communities more sustainable.

Anyone in a Sustainable CT-registered municipality (more than 50 percent of the state) is eligible to receive this funding, meaning that schools, nonprofits, community groups and individual residents can all propose projects and access the matching funds.

To start a Community Match Fund project, visit WWW.ioby.org/sustainablect or contact Sustainable CT's Abe Hilding-Salorio at hildingsalorioa@easternct.edu or 860-465-0256.

"Through the Community Match Fund, we aim to put residents at the forefront of creating positive, impactful change," said Hilding-Salorio, community outreach manager for Sustainable CT. "Match Fund projects are community led and community funded, demonstrating the power of people working together to make change in their communities."

Sustainable CT, an initiative by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University, provides a roadmap of sustainability best practices for towns, technical assistance, funding and recognition through certification. Forty-seven towns and cities across Connecticut have earned the prestigious Sustainable CT certification, demonstrating accomplishments in nine impact categories including inclusive and equitable communities, cleaner transportation, vibrant arts and culture, natural resource stewardship and affordable housing. Sustainable CT is funded by the Hampshire Foundation, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Connecticut Green Bank. Find more information at www.sustainablect.org.

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving 5,000 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 162 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 34 other states and 19 countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 30 public universities in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2019 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 10 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.