According to Mad River Path Association director Autumn Foushee, the southern section was closed for several reasons.
“We decided we needed to close that section to get a few things done, including making sure our licensing agreements with those landowners, the Spauldings, are up to date,” Foushee explained.
“The MRPA board decided that it is best to close the east Greenway completely to lessen confusion about what path sections are open. We want to respect the landowners who host the southerly section of the east Greenway by reducing confusion about the closure and reducing traffic on that section while we continue to work with the Neill Family regarding the closure of the East Greenway,” she added.
There is a section of the Greenway that is still open. It is the west side of the Greenway that begins at the Meadow Road parking lot and runs south on the west side of the Mad River to a gazebo. That section remains open because it is protected under a trail access agreement held by the town of Waitsfield.
The Neill family closed the east side of the Greenway from Meadow Road south last month after almost 20 years of hosting the Greenway. The Path Association continues to work with the town of Waitsfield on a tax stabilization/abatement program that would provide tax relief for landowners who allow public access to and across their lands. Such an agreement would need voter approval and the earliest that could happen is this November or next March.
In closing the east side of the Greenway, Elwin Neill said that he and his family were tired of dogs off leash and owners who fail to clean up after their dogs.
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