SWAMPSCOTT — The Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail will hold a bike sale and donation drive this Saturday to fund the construction of the trail.
From 8 to 10 a.m., community members can come to the Clarke School, 100 Middlesex Ave., to donate used bicycles in reasonable condition that they no longer use. Then, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., those who are interested in purchasing a bike can come to browse the selection.
“We want to be very mindful of what goes into our landfills and look at the opportunities to repurpose bikes that — maybe for their current owners — have outlived their shelf life,” said Marzie Galazka, director of community development for the town. “Bikes are hard to come by during the pandemic and now, so if we’re able to put bikes in the hands of people and help the Friends of the Rail Trail in their fundraising efforts … it’s a win-win for everybody.”
She also noted that, especially with the proposed new town-wide elementary school, residents have been concerned about traffic in town, and promoting biking can be one way of tackling that issue.
The rail trail, a 10-foot-wide accessible path, will eventually begin at Stetson Avenue and run to the Marblehead town border, where it meets with the Marblehead Rail Trail and subsequently with the Salem Rail Trail and beyond. Currently, the completed portion of the trail begins at Bradlee Avenue and continues on to Marblehead.
The second portion of the trail was completed earlier this year, and Galazka said that the Friends of the Rail Trail hope to hold a dedication ceremony and formal grand opening later this summer.
Meanwhile, the organization needs funding to continue the construction of the majority of the two-mile trail. Galazka said they have so far been able to raise over $180,000 on top of funds provided by the town, but they still have a long way to go to fund construction, design and other features to improve the trail.
“We’d love to enhance it and have areas where you can sit and have lookout areas and benches,” she said.
The Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail have also run bike-repair booths at the Swampscott Farmers Market, which is held every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the town green, 22 Monument Ave.
For more information, visit swampscottrailtrail.org.
