Spicket River Greenway

Spicket River Greenway

The vision for the Spicket River Greenway, envisioned as a three-mile long "emerald bracelet" of green spaces and walking paths connecting parks and open space through multiple neighborhoods, meets multiple bottom lines by helping the community achieve the dual goals of riverfront restoration and neighborhood revitalization. The Greenway vision is derived from a multi-year collaborative effort that has included the City of Lawrence, Groundwork Lawrence, numerous other community organizations, and a diverse group of stakeholders that over the years have: participated in the 2002 Urban RiverVisions planning and charrette sessions; advocated for enforcement efforts against illegal dumping with the Spicket River Task Force and the Clean Spicket Campaign; and championed reclamation of the river with direct action, including the thousands of residents who have cleared over 115 tons of debris and thousands of tires from the Spicket River's banks over the course of eleven Cleanups held annually since 2002. Six anchor sites along the Greenway have recently been rehabilitated or built: Dr. Nina Scarito Park, Misserville Skate Park, William Kennedy Playstead, Manchester Street Park, Immigrant Place park, and Oxford paper site.

Spicket River Greenway Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: June 3, 2013!

Background Information

Commonwealth Invests in Lawrence with Multi-Million Dollar Gateway Initiative Grant to Fund River Revitalization (pdf)
EPA Brownfields Success Story-Spicket River Greenway
Spicket River Greenway Overview Graphic
Spicket River Natural Resource Assessment
Spicket River Greenway Design Guidelines

Green Team's Involvement with the Spicket River Greenway:
Reviving the Spicket River Poster 2010
Reviving the Spicket River Pamphlet 2010 (English)
Reverdeciendo el rio Spicket 2010 (Spanish)
Green Team's Ecological Rapid Assessments of the Spicket River (2004)

Visit our Spicket River Cleanup Page to learn more about our annual cleanup event!