Bike Walk Avon CT is a volunteer organization made up of area residents and businesses whose mission is to advocate for the promotion, expansion and maintenance of safe and attractive paths for non-motorized transportation within our community.
Avon Town Officials
Avon Town Council
Farmington Valley Trail Council
East Coast Greenway
Bike Walk CT
Green Valley Volunteers/ Safe Lovely Street
The town of Avon was settled in 1645 and became known as the Northington section of Farmington. In 1825, the city of New Haven was encouraged by the success of the Erie Canal, and began construction of the Farmington Canal with the hopes that they could successfully compete with the bustling Hartford river port. The canal facilitated passage of goods from New Haven in southern CT to Northampton in central MA .
Avon was ideally located at the intersection of the Albany Turnpike (connecting Hartford, CT with Albany,NY) and the Farmington Canal. Hoping to partake in the industrial boom of the time, the town became incorporated in 1830. The canal was completed in 1835, however never turned a profit, therefore by 1850, it's approximate route became the railroad passage known as the "Canal Line". This rail line was active in town until 1987.
In the mid 1980's, the national rails to trails movement was getting traction under the guidance of the Rails-to-trails Conservancy. In 1987, a group of CT volunteers formed the Farmington Canal Rail-to-Trail Association and began their work with local governments to convert of the rail bed into the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (FCHT).
In 1992, the Farmington Valley Trails Council (FVTC) was founded to increase public support and awareness of this project and in 1996, under their guidance the first 6 miles of the trail opened for public use.
The FCHT trail is now 85% completed and roughly follows the 81.2 miles of the original canal, with 54 miles miles of the trail in CT. The work continues to be an ongoing collaborative project involving the federal government, the states of CT and MA and many volunteer advocacy groups.
Of note, 47.6 miles of the FCHT has become an integral part of the 3000 mile linear park known as the East Coast Greenway connecting the eastern seaboard from Key West, FL to Calais, ME.
In 2019, a group of Avon volunteers formed BikeWalkAvonCT. We partner with local governments and neighboring advocacy groups to continue the work of these visionary trail advocacy groups.
Co-Chairs: Fran Gurtman & Steven Mitchell
Avon Assistant Town Manager: Grace Tiezzi
Social Media: Lynne Anderson & Chip Walters
School Liaisons: Amy Finch & Deb Chute
Avon Town Council Chairperson: Dan Polhamus
Avon Town Council Liaison: Anthony Weber
Farmington Valley Trail Council Board Liaison:
Diana Moody
Green Valley Volunteers led by Mehmet Gokalp Gokcen
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