What - and Where - is the Old Village Trail?The Old Village Trail is an urban greenway created from reclaimed street right-of way along portions of Bancroft and Clinton Streets. The trail links Maritime Heritage Park in the Lettered Streets Neighborhood with Elizabeth Park in the Columbia Neighborhood (see Old Village Trail Location Map, 390K PDF).
Completed in 1978 as one of the City’s first Community Development Block Grant projects, the Old Village Trail has been well used by neighborhood residents for almost 30 years. Over time, however, changes have occurred along the trail and segments have fallen into disrepair -- paving is uneven, landscaping is overgrown, the distinction between vehicular and pedestrian areas has become unclear, and way-finding can be difficult.
The Old Village Trail is an urban greenway that links Maritime Heritage Park with Elizabeth Park.
Project Profile In 2003 the Lettered
Streets Neighborhood Association responded to a competitive Request
for Proposals through the City’s Neighborhood Initiatives Program (NIP)
and submitted an application to make improvements to the Old Village
Trail (see
Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association Proposal Summary, 27K PDF).
The
Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) subsequently allocated
up to $160,000 in federal 2003 and 2004 Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) funds toward the project. An additional $50,000 in CDBG was
added to the project in 2006, bringing the project budget to $210,000.
Funds are supplemented by in-kind donations from Lettered Streets
Neighborhood residents.
The Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association submitted a proposal to the City's Neighborhood Initiatives Program to make improvements to the Old Village Trail.
The City of Bellingham's Community Development Division has worked with the Parks and Public Works Departments, residents from the Lettered Streets and Columbia Neighborhoods, property owners along the trail, and other interested citizens to plan for improvements to the Old Village Trail.
For more information about the Old Village Trail Improvement Project contact the Neighborhood Initiatives Coordinator a the Planning and Community Development Department.
