“Gateway To The Connecticut River”

This project was on CEDC property and is a proud sponsor of this local nonprofit project.

Colebrook serves as an important gateway for Connecticut River explorations. For many years, paddlers have launched from an access on land now owned by CEDC just downstream of Bridge Street. This is also a popular river access with anglers and swimmers. This access was developed by a local youth crew but had fallen into disrepair. In particular, access steps were rotting and overgrown and a bridge had broken deck boards and was failing structurally.

In late July, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s stewardship crew and a team of community volunteers replaced the access steps, bridge, resurfaced the access path, and added a sign-in box and roof to the existing kiosk. New signage has been ordered to add to the kiosk, including information on local businesses of interest to visitors. The work to revitalize this access has helped ensure Colebrook remains on the map as a gateway community for river-based tourism and recreation. As such, it is well aligned with CEDC’s goals of “promoting economic growth that fosters a strong and diverse workforce, sustainable employment and a thriving business environment.”