AMESBURY — Strolling or riding along the Amesbury Riverwalk can be a very relaxing and invigorating experience, a peaceful excursion in an isolated setting. But that isolation can also be frightening should a walker notice they are being followed by a suspicious-looking stranger or a loved one has an unexpected medical emergency.
That's a main reason why as of Saturday there are 13 new signposts a tenth of a mile apart along the 1.3-mile rail trail, the idea being that if a crime is being committed or a medical emergency is unfolding, those involved can call police and tell them exactly where they are along the Riverwalk.
The paved Riverwalk begins in the Lower Millyard section of the downtown area near the Bartley Machinery building off Water Street and continues for more than a mile before ending out near the Route 110 Stop & Shop. It is hoped that Amesbury's rail trail will eventually be linked to an additional 30 miles of trails, including Newburyport's Clipper City trail and Salisbury's Great Marsh trail, before connecting to the Salisbury Point Ghost Rail Trail.
In April, the perceived safety of trails suffered a major blow in Salisbury when a homeless man repeatedly struck a Salisbury acquaintance with a hatchet while walking along an unpaved section of a secondary trail that leads from Lion's Park and connects Salisbury Square to Interstate 95. The victim eventually recovered from his life-threatening head wounds but died months later.
On Saturday, it took roughly a half dozen people about three hours to implant and secure the signs properly. A day earlier, the Department of Public Works dug holes for each of the trail signs. Helping out on Saturday were four members of the Amesbury Police Department including Chief Mark Gagnon, Coastal Trails Coalition member Bruce McBrien and Councilor at-large Anne Ferguson.
"I still have a smile on my face; it was a hard project, but it worked out really well," Ferguson said.
The signposts are the brainchild of Ferguson, who began soliciting sponsors for them about six months ago. Ferguson, who just won another term in office last week, said she was inspired to add markers to the Riverwalk upon learning of the success of a similar endeavor along Salisbury's Ghost Trail. Inspired, Ferguson approached Gagnon about the idea and quickly won a supporter.
"As a public safety issue, I thought it was a great idea. When she approached me, it was a great big 'yes,'" Gagnon said.
The idea of adding signposts along Salisbury's trails came after an emergency medical situation took place along the Great Marsh Trail. Passersby noticed a man in distress and called 911 for help. When a police dispatcher asked the witnesses to report their location, they had significant trouble pinpointing their locations.
Gagnon said two similar situations took place in Amesbury recently, one involving a man who had suffered a serious facial laceration after running into a National Grid guide wire. His wife frantically called 911 for assistance but had trouble figuring out where they were. That led to emergency responders having difficulty reaching them.
"It's a real public safety issue, so we can find them when they have an emergency medical condition," Gagnon said.
Each of the signs is sponsored by a local or regional business. The first marker was purchased by the Amesbury Police Association while others were sponsored by The Provident Bank, Bartley Machines, the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank and Anna Jaques Hospital, among others.
"We're very thankful that there's so many people in Amesbury willing to step up," Gagnon said.
About $3,000 was raised through the sponsor-a-sign program that will pay for general upkeep of the Riverwalk, plantings and perhaps some lighting to make the path even safer, according to Ferguson.
Ferguson also spoke of the possibility of creating a new group that would be charged with overseeing the Riverwalk in a non-official capacity.
"Maybe Friends of the Amesbury Rail Trail," Ferguson said.
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