HAVERHILL — The City Council last night gave Mayor James Fiorentini permission to finalize the purchase of a half-mile stretch of abandoned railroad bed on the Bradford side of the Merrimack River for a recreational pathway.
Haverhill has about $500,000 in state and private money to buy three parcels of land owned by Pan Am Railways, the mayor's aide, Andrew Herlihy, said.
The rail bed is downtown, from just east of the Comeau Bridge to the Basiliere Bridge at Route 125. The state gave the city $400,000 in January for the purchase and the city raised another approximately $100,000 from private contributors, including the Greater Haverhill Foundation.
The city hopes to eventually replace the overgrown, dirt railroad bed with a paved recreational trail and connect it to boardwalks and pathways on the downtown side of the river. The loop would be connected on both ends of downtown at the Basiliere and Comeau bridges.
"This is a step forward to taking advantage of the beautiful river that's been neglected for years," City Councilor William Ryan said.
Herlihy stressed the city not use any taxpayer money for the purchase, and that the money the city has to buy the land cannot be used for anything other than developing a recreational pathway.
"If we don't use the $400,000, the state will take it back and build a rail trail somewhere else," Herlihy said.
Fiorentini also is negotiating with Pan Am to buy another six parcels of connected rail bed from Basiliere Bridge east to the Haverhill Paperboard property, which is just east of Crescent Yacht Club. The full stretch from Comeau Bridge to the paper company is about 1.1 miles.
The railway is part of the old Georgetown branch rail line, which was built in 1851. It has not been used in three decades.
Haverhill must secure more state and private money to buy the additional parcels and build the trail, Herlihy said.
The paper mill recently announced it is closing, opening the possibility of the city acquiring the railroad bed behind that property as well. The city envisions the rail trail one day reaching all the way to Groveland and Georgetown.
The mayor hopes to finalize the purchase of the downtown piece by the end of summer, Herlihy said.
