Seeing the Cleanup in Context of the Wider Spicket River Greenway Initiative
The Spicket River Greenway: History-Meets-21st Century Vision

The developing Spicket River Greenway, envisioned by our community as a three-mile long “emerald bracelet” of green spaces and walking paths connecting parks and neighborhoods, is comprised of a series of infrastructure, program, and stewardship investments made by Groundwork Lawrence and the City of Lawrence that are helping to meet the many challenges facing our community, a former mill city in northeastern Massachusetts with high rates of poverty, unemployment, foreclosure, and diet/lifestyle-related disease, especially among our lowest-income Latinos who comprise over 65% of our population.

Derived from a multi-year collaborative planning effort led by Groundwork Lawrence, the Greenway vision was identified first in 2001 and continues to serve as a guiding strategy for achieving multiple goals associated with creating a more healthy community, including: river restoration, neighborhood revitalization, civic engagement, improved public health, enhanced transit and walkability, better air quality, and increased recreational opportunity. With staunch public support for these mandates in mind, Groundwork has led a persistent, multi-faceted campaign to advocate for enforcement efforts against illegal dumping; raise awareness about the river and its recreational potential; clear invasive species from the river’s edge; improve its habitat with newly planted native trees, shrubs, and plants; and challenge the community to engage in direct action to clean up and reclaim the Spicket River.

The Cleanup: Nurturing Civic Engagement and Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize

Since 2002, Groundwork Lawrence has engaged over 4,250 people in clearing 92 tons of debris and over 1,000 tires from the banks of the Spicket River. At the same time, Groundwork Lawrence has served as project manager for the City of Lawrence Community Development Department to fundraise and leverage public dollars dedicated to the design and construction of four new parks along the Spicket River Greenway: Dr. Nina Scarito Park—the City’s first brownfield-to-open space project completed in 2006, Misserville Park and Kennedy Playstead, both constructed in 2007, and the new Manchester Street Park, located at the former Covanta site, opened in the fall of 2009 (Read more...). Additionally, this partnership has yielded greenway design guidelines, survey work, and preliminary design plans for the trails that will ultimately connect these new riverfront green spaces. In early 2010 the Commonwealth of Massachusett's Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) selected the Spicket River as a priority site making GWL and the City eligible for technical assistance and a future DER grant. In sum, the Spicket River Greenway has inched from vision toward reality thanks to over $5.5 million in State and local funds invested on Spicket River park projects, with an additional $2 million of planned riverside park and trail improvements in the pipeline.

Volunteer and/or Sponsor the Cleanup!

In 2009 350 volunteers worked to pull out approximately 10 tons of trash from the Spicket River. Volunteers included students, institutions, corporate groups, and local residents. Each year we provide trash bags, gloves, and dumpsters for volunteers to utilize, and logistical support for the Cleanup, a celebratory lunch for all donors and volunteers. To facilitate the Cleanup event each year, we rely almost exclusively on generous in-kind material donations and financial sponsorship support from corporations, local businesses, banks, and individuals. We greatly appreciate your helping us make a difference in Lawrence.

For more information or to learn how your business or group can participate in next year's Spicket River Cleanup please email Kathryn or call (978) 974-0770.