Thomas E. Ross Acting Executive Director

Acting Executive Director’s Message
Welcome to the first issue of Corridor News in 2007! As you may know our Interim Executive Director Larry Gall retired in early January after more than 35 years of federal service. We certainly appreciate Larry's leadership over the past two years and wish him well in his retirement.

While the Corridor Commission commences a nationwide search for a permanent director I am honored to serve as your Acting Executive Director in this very special place called the Blackstone River Valley. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you over the coming months as we launch into exciting planning initiatives and continue to carry out our program and project work. Our e-newsletters will keep you updated on all of the successes and happenings in the heritage corridor. Finally, I hope that you will help us celebrate our reauthorization and success over the past year by attending the Commission's Annual Dinner at Wright's Farm on March 8th, it will be a great way to kick-off a bright future!

See you there.

Thomas E. Ross,
Acting Executive Director

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Larry Gall Retires
Lawrence D. Gall, Interim Executive Director of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, has retired from the National Park Service on January 4, 2007. “We truly appreciate Larry’s service to the National Heritage Corridor Commission,” says Louise Redding, Commission Chair. "Larry helped the Corridor 'set up shop' twenty years ago when the first Commission was organized. Two decades later, he made a return visit to assist the Commission with a challenging quest for reauthorization. This ended with a successful five year extension and the beginnings of an excellent foundation for the planning that is necessary to move the Corridor forward towards a more permanent, sustainable entity,” she said. Larry was also affectionately known in the Blackstone Valley as the “Singing Ranger” for his vocal skills on our national anthem which brought him many engagements at ball games and festivals.

Gall achieved more than 30 years as a government employee in the National Park Service and he most recently served as Deputy Associate Regional Director for Planning and Partnerships in the Northeast Region prior to his swansong at the Corridor. The Commission, staff and partners wish him all the best in his retirement!

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Hertiage Corridor Commission Chair Louise Redding (right) and former Executive Director Larry Gall (rear) join Burrillville officials to cut the ribbon for the new Pascoag Riverwalk.

Pascoag Village Riverwalk Opens in Burrillville Heralds Revitalization of Downtown
The Town of Burrillville in partnership with the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor officially opened the town’s new riverwalk in the village of Pascoag with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, December 11, 2006. A gathering of over 30 local town officials, Heritage Corridor Commissioners and staff, designers and engineers attended this significant community event. This improvement is expected to bring a new focus to the river running through downtown Pascoag and be a major stimulus to other area redevelopment. 

Several recent improvements in the Pascoag are changing the face of the downtown and will benefit not only local residents, but also give visitors better access to the Clear River, a tributary of the Blackstone River. According to Tom Kravitz, Director of Planning and Economic Development, the project represents phase one of a multi-phase pedestrian trail system that will improve active recreation opportunities within the Town’s village centers and ultimately link the Town’s villages together. The Riverwalk is an exciting new amenity and enhances and makes more accessible the Clear River environment.

Project funding was provided in part by the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission designated $40,000. This funding was dedicated to the development of plans by Gates-Leighton and Associates. In addition the firm assisted in the permitting for this phase of the Pascoag Riverwalk. The Town also contributed $156,565 to the project and secured $175,000 in funding from Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management and the Levy Foundation to complete construction.

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Darling Barn at Waters Farm

Ten Blackstone River Valley Communities Participating in Heritage Landscape Inventory Program
Ten BlackstoneRiverValley communities have signed up to take part in preserving the historic landscapes of the Valley. In an effort to help communities identify and plan for the protection of those places that give the BlackstoneValley its distinctive character, the Corridor Commission has teamed up with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor to undertake an inventory of heritage landscapes in south central Massachusetts. 

The Heritage Landscape Inventory Program, which provides direct technical assistance to participating communities, has been very enthusiastically received in the BlackstoneValley. Ten of the thirteen Massachusetts communities in the Valley are participating in the program: Douglas, Grafton, Hopedale, Leicester, Mendon, Millbury, Millville, Northbridge, Sutton and Uxbridge. Each town will host a “local identification meeting,” bringing together a wide range of people to discuss and prioritize the community’s important landscapes. So far, very successful meetings have been held in Douglas, Mendon and Leicester. The schedule for the remaining local identification meetings is as follows:

Hopedale – February 21, 7 pm – Location TBD
Uxbridge– March 1, 7 pm – Senior Center (Main Street)                    
Millville – March 15, 6 pm – Town Hall, Selectmen's Meeting Room
Millbury – March 19, 7 pm (tentative)         
Grafton – March 21, 7 pm – Brigham Hill Community Barn
Sutton – March 22, 6pm – Town Hall, Selectmen's Meeting Room
Northbridge – March 29, 6 pm – Location TBD

Please feel free to attend! For more information, contact Joanna Doherty, Community Planner at the Corridor Commission, at 401-762-0250 or e-mail us or visit the DCR’s web site: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/histland/Inventoryprog.htm

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