In Peabody, trail mixes two ponds

PEABODY – South Peabody residents will get a chance in June to help city officials fine-tune plans for a trail that will take walkers and runners from Sidney?s Pond, past marshland and forests, to Spring Pond and the Lynn line.The project will transform an embankment next to the The Meadow at Peabody golf course parking lot into a trailhead that will connect with an elevated boardwalk skirting marshland along Sidney?s Pond and leading to a trial that will take users past Cedar Grove Cemetery and MacArthur Park to Spring Pond.City officials are currently seeking bids for the section of the trail running past Sidney?s Pond to be built during the summer. Plans for the trail?s Spring Pond phase are under design with trail construction and fencing work planned for the fall.The city bought Sidney?s Pond from local firm Eastman Gelatine (Rousselot) in 2006 and city Community Development and Planning Director Karen Sawyer Conard said the two-mile trail represents the city?s commitment “to recreate passive recreation for residents of South Peabody.”Joy Place resident Chris Kalogeros said the project brings back the Sidney?s Pond trails he remembers playing on as a boy.?I?m a nature guy, so I am all for it,” he said.Meadow?s golf professional Peter Cronan said the trail will provide direct access to a running path for Joy residents who currently meet in the golf course parking lot before starting a run.?It?s going to make their lives a lot easier,” he said.Conard said 75 area residents who attended an April 15 meeting on the trail plan offered mixed views about the project, including concerns about public safety and trail maintenance.?There are people who liked it out of the gate; others had a lot of questions,” she said.City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Jennifer Davis said the trail design will conform with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.Kim Carafa lives across from The Meadow?s parking lot and said the trail “is a nice addition to South Peabody.” She said golfers who cannot find spaces in the parking lot park on Granite Street and she wants assurances trail users will not add to parking congestion or speeding on Granite.?I?m concerned about people flying down the street,” Carafa said.The city?s main recreation trail is the 5-mile Peabody Independence Greenway.