A rainy, cold afternoon Thursday could not keep Ansonia officials and residents from thinking about sunny days to come, when residents can walk along the city’s new Riverwalk.
City officials dedicated the new walkway Thursday, standing under a new pavilion to keep dry.
“It’s not a rainy day,” said Mayor James Della Volpe as he welcomed a crowd of about 40 town officials and local residents. “This is a bright day for us.”
A group of children helped cut the ribbon, set up under the Riverwalk pavilion on the corner of Division and North Division streets.
Mayor Mark Lauretti of Shelton and Mayor Anthony Staffieri of Derby were among the 40 attendants. A number of Ansonia aldermen also attended the ribbon cutting.
Staffieri said the Ansonia Riverwalk will add to the attraction already started with the Derby Greenway.
“People will be able to walk from Ansonia through Derby to Shelton. It’s a beautiful thing,” Staffieri said.
It is only the first phase of the project, at a cost of about $1 million.
The path in Ansonia now stretches north, from the Division Street corner, along the Naugatuck River to the railroad tracks.The total length is about two-thirds of a mile, Della Volpe said.
He has already walked the path.
“Thousands of people will enjoy using this in the years ahead,” Della Volpe said.
One of the people who will be using it soon is Sal Hanaif, a resident who brought his two children, Ibrahim, 4, and Medina, 6. They helped cut the ribbon Thursday.
“I will definitely use it,” Hanaif said.
He said it is a healthy activity to go out walking, and it will teach the children some good values too.
“It will teach the children about staying healthy,” he said.
The city hopes to eventually create another walkway across the river, behind buildings on Main Street, where people can walk a loop from Division Street to Bridge Street, and back. Those portions of the trail will be addressed in future phases.
The total project is estimated to cost $2.4 million. Most of that money has come through grants.
