The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Council and the Vermont Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects are now accepting submissions to the 2010 Corridors and Commons Awards Program. The program recognizes Vermont towns engaged in comprehensive efforts to expand the value and benefits of public open spaces by connecting and joining these important community places through carefully developed, publicly accessible corridors.
The program's goal is to:
...recognize communities that have developed creative, farsighted methods for linking existing open spaces such as parks, town commons, ponds or reservoirs, town forests, or wetlands with public corridors such as riparian zones along waterways, recreational trail systems or tree lined streets.
Eligibility
Projects must be located in Vermont. Submission may range from mature projects in place to conceptual studies, plans, or incentives that encourage connecting open space commons with corridors. These corridors, or belts of open spaces, should be developed as part of broad, comprehensive, long-term efforts towards a network of greenspaces.
Planners, Landscape Architects, Municipal Officials, Professional Engineers, Individuals, Educational Institutions, Non-Profit Groups and Community Groups are encouraged to make submissions.
Criteria for Projects
Corridors should establish circuits linking as many local public areas as possible, connecting community centers to surrounding countryside and, in the process, expanding opportunities for public recreation, and increasing the community value and ecosystem services of these public areas.
The methods used to connect open spaces should, to the greatest extent possible, establish permanent public access to these corridors.
The selection of corridors, whether location or type, is not restricted to any one method but should nevertheless utilize advantageous topography whenever possible, whether ridge lines, river valleys, abandoned railroad lines, existing roads, or other appropriate natural or cultural features.
Projects should stimulate public awareness about the benefits of linking village centers or city neighborhoods with outlying natural areas devoted to conservation and recreation and, in the process, should help to draw those natural areas into urban and village environments.
Projects should seek to advance the concept of urban and community forestry by integrating natural systems and greenspaces as part of the development planning process.
Submissions
Submissions must include a brief synopsis that outlines the local objective and explains how the project meets the criteria. The form of the submissions is left to the entrant with the following guidelines:
A combination of photographs and text is highly recommended.
A maximum of 10 photographs and/or drawings which should be cleared for publication.
Text should be limited to 2 pages.
Submitted material will be returned on request.
Schedule
Submissions must reach the VT Urban & Community Forestry Program – VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, 103 South Main Street, 10 South, Waterbury, VT 05671 by June 15, 2010. Winning submissions will be displayed at future sponsor organizations’ meetings. Awards will be presented during a ceremony in the fall of 2010.
Jurors
A mixed jury of five will review entries. Jury members will be made up of planners, landscape architects, urban foresters, educators and natural resource professionals.
Entry Submittal Fees
$15 per entry. Please make checks payable to the VT-ASLA.
Entry Submission
Submit entries by June 15, 2010 to VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Urban & Community Forestry Program, 103 South Main Street, 10 South, Waterbury, VT 05671.
Entry Information
Project Name
Project Location
Submitter
Partners
Address
Telephone Number
Email
Further Questions
Questions about the 2010 Corridors and Commons awards can be made to Danielle Fitzko at 802-241-3673 or danielle.fitzko@state.vt.us.
2010 Winners
The Town of Swanton Fit and Healthy Recreation Path
Submitted by Ron Kilburn – Swanton Zoning Administrator and President of Swanton Historical Society
Partners: Northwestern Medical Center, Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Swanton School, Swanton Recreation Commission, Swanton Historical Society, Swanton Teen Center, Swanton Village
Almost 12 years ago, the community of Swanton had a vision - offer a link through the village to provide a safe route to school, physical activity and connection to areas natural, cultural and historical resources. A logical corridor already existed in the community- a historic railroad that once led from Swanton to St. Johnsbury. The railroad was abandoned in 1970’s. Following the abandonment, a tragic fire burned the longest covered railroad bridge in the country; leaving no way for pedestrians or bicyclists to cross the Missisquoi River from South River Street into the Village.
With the help of the Swanton Fit Family Coalition, formed in 2007, and the Swanton Advisory Board, the vision began to take form with the proposal of a one mile community path along the existing railroad bed from one end of the village, past two elementary schools, the recreation fields, a protected wetland, the village square and across the river where it would meet with the Champlain Bikeway. The challenges were also real: the rail bed was overgrown and there was no way to cross the river. With the help of the Town and many community volunteers (youth and adults) a majority of the abandoned rail bed was redeveloped into a fit and healthy community path in 2008.
But they still needed a way to cross the river: luckily with the help of the Agency of Transportation, a solution was already in the works. A circa 1903 truss bridge in Milton needed a new home. After securing funding and completing the restoration, the historic bridge was in place and open for use in the spring of 2009. The bridge now links the downtown area with the Swanton Historical Society Railroad Depot Museum, which offers insight to past with a caboose, a railroad bridge house and the remains of a roundhouse
To celebrate the completion of the path, the community gathered on September 23, 2009 to participate in the first ‘All School Walk to the Depot’ along the recreation path. Over 500 elementary students participated. Since its opening, the path continues to be utilized by students, individuals and families. The path provides permanent public access to this wonderful community resource and in the distance, the sounds of today’s trains can be heard using their new corridor.
Honorable Mentions:
Island Pond Lakeside Park Improvement Study Village of Island Pond, VT Patrick McLean – Stantec who partnered with the Town of Brighton
The Village of Island Pond features one of Vermont’s few commercial downtowns located along a waterfront. As the Village has become increasingly more popular for lake-based ‘adventure tourism’ such as canoeing, snowmobiling, and other activities, resident and local business owners recognized a need to more explicitly connect the lake to the village core – the hub of the economy and community. This project is a study on how to connect these two hubs: beginning with the development and improvement plan for the Lakeside Park and its function as the link between the downtown and the natural beauty of the water.
The planning effort involved soliciting input from business owners, town and village officials and the community at large on strategies for integrating the commercial downtown with the waterfront and for making better use of the park through the year. From this information, the project design team has developed three concept plans for improving the park, which involve various combinations of streetscape connections, active recreation, access and parking for boats, snowmobiles and bicycles, an amphitheater, a marina and other open areas and pathways linking visitors to the village center.
At the heart of the improvement plan is a series of connections between the park, the village and the lake. Green corridors carry you from one common to the next.
This is just the beginning; the village hopes to inspire a reinvigorated village center that serves as a regional draw for recreation and nature tourism as well as a sense of pride for its residents. We look forward to seeing the plan come to reality and carrying the natural beauty of the area to the village center.
Along the Connecticut River Windsor, Vermont
Robert D. Haight who partnered with the Windsor Downtown Committee
Along the Connecticut River is a conceptual plan to develop a trail that connects the town of Windsor’s natural beauty to its history and life today. At the north end of the trail is the commercial and industrial hub created when Simon Pearce Glass invested to Windsor. Today there is also Harpoon Brewery, Paradise Sports and Great Water Outfitters. 3 ½ miles to the south, the trail brings you another hub, downtown Windsor and provides access to the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge, the grounds of the former Tewsbury organic gardens at the mouth of the Mill Brook. About equal distance to the north from Simon Pearce Glass are the towns of Hartland, North Hartland, and White River Junction. In between, path travelers, whether walking, biking or skiing, can traverse virtually unspoiled sections of the river and active farming. This paths creates an opportunity to appreciate and witness the Windsor are by providing insights into reality, if ever, seen by residents or by visitors - all through a corridor connecting various community hubs. The symbolic relationship between the trail and the local efforts of the town of Windsor is very important. Bringing new activity and awareness to the area will help the community. The visibility and connection to other areas and other activities will create a completely new perspective of Windsor.
2008 Winner
The City of Winooski received the 2008 Corridors and Commons Award for their Champlain Mill River Walk. Beginning in the most densely populated square mile of Vermont, the Champlain Mill RiverWalk seamlessly connects Winooski’s flourishing urban landscape to a 100 acre natural area comprised of old farmland, flood plains and wildlife habitat.
The edge of the boardwalk, riverwalkers encounter the rich riparian corridor known as '100 acre park'. A network of low impact trails ramble park where numerous activities are.
The riverwalk is a successful, working example of the delicate link between our built and natural environments.
![Vermont Division of Forestry [photo]](../rand/bann_urbcomm.jpg)
