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Environmental Commission
Bryram, Hopatcong, Stanhope Tri-Municipality Trail Link Opens
Posted: September 25, 2010
 Photo by Christina Tatu/New Jersey Herald Stanhope Mayor Diana Kuncken and Cliff Lundin, chairman of the Tri-Community Trails Link Committee, speak during an opening ceremony Saturday at the old Lackawanna Cut-Off. |
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Residents of Byram, Stanhope and Hopatcong can now hike and bike three trails connecting the municipalities. A special ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at the historic single-lane bridge over the Lackawanna Cut-Off at Sparta-Stanhope Road, where the three trails converge, marked the official completion of the 14-month Tri-Community Trail Link project. "Once we get moving, the possibilities are endless," Byram Township Councilman Scott Olson said. The project connected three main routes that run through the municipalities, but those trails, each between 1 and 1.5 miles in length, also connect with hundreds of others in the area. The trails used to be deeply rutted and some areas were overgrown with brush and trees, but a $3,700 grant from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions made it possible to redo the paths, Olson said. Saturday's grand opening marks only the first part of an effort to successfully connect the towns with walking and biking trails, said Cliff Lundin, chairman of the project team. Next, the Tri-Community Trails Committee hopes to link the walking trails to neighborhoods throughout the three communities, eliminating the need for people to drive to trail sites. The group also hopes to construct a trail from the old Lackawanna Cut-Off Bridge to the Veterans Field on Flora Road in Hopatcong. The trails, which will ultimately link with the Appalachian Trail running from Georgia to Maine, were scheduled to be completed by the end of June; however, unexpected delays caused the project's due date and the grant, to be extended until the end of this month. "This (ceremony) represents a culmination of a lot of time and work and commitment," Stanhope Mayor Diana Kuncken said. "It also places an emphasis on getting out and getting exercise and calls to mind the beautiful, natural settings we have in the three towns." The ceremony was attended by Kuncken, Byram Mayor Jim Oscovitch and Hopatcong Councilman Howard Baker. Hopatcong Mayor Sylvia Petillo was unable to attend the event because of another obligation. Longtime Hopatcong Open Space Commission member Malcolm Piester was honored during Saturday's event for his dedication to the trail system and seven years of service on the commission. "It's nice to just go walking and have woods to walk in," Piester said. His interest in the outdoors began when he was about 12 and began a newspaper route. "One of the things I have to do to keep my sanity is get in the woods and get away from all the traffic," he said. While he is excited about the project, Piester reminded those at the ceremony to treat the trail system with respect. All-terrain vehicles are not allowed on the trail, and he hopes hikers and bikers keep garbage off the pathways. The trails include the Mansfield Bike Path in Byram, a 1.8-mile route linking Mansfield Drive near Byram Lakes Elementary School and Byram Intermediate School to Sparta-Stanhope Road, just north of Lenape Valley High School. The bike path, which ends at the border of Stanhope, connects the Stanhope School District and a footpath between Lenape Valley High School and Valley Road School. The trail then leads to the Sussex County Library, through the Hopatcong Preserve toward Durban Avenue School and Hopatcong High School.