Take A Hike:

FFH Trail Grand Opening Scheduled For May 2

By John Voket

While construction, demolition, and parking lot projects continue at the center of Fairfield Hills, residents will soon be able to loop around the action on a recently completed, paved and handicapped accessible 1.6-mile walking trail

Grand opening ceremonies and activities promoting the new walking trail at Fairfield Hills are scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at 1 pm. Activities will take place at the beginning and end of the trail loop by Glander Field and Cochrane House off Mile Hill Road South.

If parking is limited because of baseball games at Glander Field, walkers may park at any other open lot on the Fairfield Hills campus and pick up the loop at its closest point to their location, according to Newtown Health Director Donna Culbert.

Those planning to attend grand opening festivities should meet at a pavilion near that end of the walking trail where Newtown Parks and Recreation staff will have a tent set up. Dr John Reed will provide opening remarks on behalf of Fairfield Hills Authority.

Cody Foss from The Fitness Loft will provide information about stretching, developing healthy walking plans, checking one’s aerobic heart rates, and other walking tips.

Dr Reed, who is the authority’s trails liaison, told The Newtown Bee that the current milled pavement will eventually be replaced by asphalt, so in the coming weeks there may be some interrupted access to the entire loop.

“The first phase is open and planning and design is underway for additional trail access throughout the rest of the campus,” he said. “We plan to unveil a conceptual plan for the entire network to the public by late spring or early summer.”

Dr Reed said once completed, the trail could feature health stations where walkers can stop and consult informational kiosks to perform stretching and other complimentary exercises, identification markers of historic or natural resources, public lavatories, and even a band shell or public performance venue.

“We hope this trail will become a public destination, but there’s still a lot to be done,” Dr Reed said.

Ms Culbert added that the Fairfield Hills Authority is very much interested in promoting walking as a good habit to improve and maintain health, acknowledges that the walking trail is a work in progress, and ultimately hopes to continue a path along Wasserman Way and up to Mile Hill Road South to complete the loop.

Town Conservation Officer Rob Sibley said all the trail work to date is being supplemented by a $50,000 grant, and there is another $50,000 grant opportunity available. Mr Sibley also sent out a reminder to anyone coming to the campus with their four-legged friends to be familiar with the ordinances regarding leashes and cleaning up after one’s pets.

Dr Reed also expressed concerns following complaints to the authority about loose dogs approaching walkers, and messes being left along the trail and elsewhere on the campus.

“We’d hate to be put in a position where we get so many complaints that we have to restrict dogs from the entire property,” Dr Reed cautioned.

During the May 2 festivities, Canine Training Behavior Services will have a Dog Information Station to provide information about dogs and their behavior at Fairfield Hills. The Visiting Nurses Association of Newtown will be represented with VNA health information.

And the Newtown Health District will offer information about walking and about tick-borne disease prevention, Ms Culbert added. If residents are looking for health information ahead of planning a regular walking regiment for their health, Ms Culbert recommends visiting the American Heart Association’s web page dedicated to the subject at www.StartWalkingNow.org.

“Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity,” Ms Culbert said. “It’s the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health.”

To keep the community moving in the right direction, the Newtown Health District is also working with some of its local partners, particularly the Parks & Recreation Department, Newtown Police Department, the Newtown GIS (Geographical Information Systems) Department, Newtown schools, Newtown Senior Center, and a local physician, developing mapping for distribution to identify walking routes outside the Fairfield Hills campus to help Newtowners get out and “Walk Around Newtown.”

This work is being accomplished with the assistance of federal block grant funds allocated specifically to help increase physical activity and reduce obesity.

“More information regarding that project will be coming soon in cooperation with The Newtown Bee, and you can look forward to the grand opening of the Fairfield Hills trail on May 2,” Ms Culbert said, adding, “Please be aware, when you walk and hike our beautiful trails and Newtown landscape, protect yourself from tick bites and look for ticks on yourself, your family, and your pets.”