On May 9th Sweet Briar College and the Town of Amherst co-hosted a work session to discuss the potential for a trail connection between the college and Ambriar Shopping Center. The Sweet Briar- Ambriar Trail Workshop was facilitated by Ursula Lemanski, National Park Service Rivers and Trail Program, because of a technical assistance grant that had been awarded to the College and Town.
Workshop participants included Amherst Town and County elected officials and staff, Sweet Briar College facility and staff, representatives from the local business community, and VDOT.
Dr. Phillip Stone, former Sweet Briar College President, welcomed interested stakeholders and reiterated the value in creating a safe linkage that would further connect the college with the Amherst community. The day-long workshop resulted in draft connection vision and goals, an increased understanding of assets, opportunities and challenges for route options, and a consensus on a strategy and target dates to formulate a trail connection plan.
The trail connection represents continued leadership by the Amherst community in expanding safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the Town. The Local Government Council staff will work with Sweet Briar-Ambriar Trail Leadership Team in developing a Draft Trail Connection Plan in the Fall of 2017. For more information contact Kelly Hitchcock at khitchcock@region2000.org.
