New Pedestrian Path Inaugurated at Annual River Walk
Malden Residents take first public walk along new walkway at 195 Canal Street built by Combined Properties
Ribbon-cutting participants included (pictured from left to right) WalkMalden’s
Kevin Duffy, Ward Councillor Barbara Murphy, Anthony’s Albert Spadafora, Combined Properties’s President John Pereira, Combined Properties’s Vice President of Operations Michael Keiselbach, Ward Councillor Gary Christenson, Combined Properties’s Vice President of Business Development Chris Maietta, Ward Councillor James Nestor, Bike to the Sea’s Clay Larsen, and School Committee Official Stephen Winslow.
On Saturday, May 21, Malden residents gathered at 195 Canal Street, home of Cambridge Health Alliance’s Malden Family Medicine Center, to participate in WalkMal-den’s second annual River Walk. The free community event was well attended by area families who came together to celebrate community, the benefits of being active, public access to the new pede-strian pathway on-site, and the sun, which was shining for the first time all week.
The event’s highlight was a leisurely, group-walk along the Malden River that began on the newly finished walkway at 195 Canal Street, built by Malden-based property owner and developer Com-bined Properties. The pedestrian path, which is officially open for public use and enjoyment, came about through collaboration among Combined Properties, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the city of Malden.
Before kicking off the walk, event partners inaugurated the new pathway in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Participants included Malden Ward Councillors Gary Christenson, Barbara Murphy, and James Nestor; Malden School Committee Official Stephen Winslow; Combined Properties’s President John Pereira, Vice President of Business Development Chris Maietta, and Vice President of Operations Michael Keiselbach; Anthony’s Albert Spadafora; WalkMalden’s Kevin Duffy; and Bike to the Sea’s Clay Larsen.
The event also featured a small health fair, displays by local art and education groups, information about the Malden River’s improving water quality, details about Northern Strand Trail, a new bicycle path that non-profit organization Bike to the Sea will construct, and before-and-after images of 195 Canal Street displaying Combined Properties’s complete renovation of the site. Lucky children in attendance were the recipients of free raffle items, including four tickets to a Boston Breakers soccer game donated by Cambridge Health Alliance and a new children’s bicycle donated by JRA Cycles of Medford.
River Walk event partners included Anthony’s Restaurant, Bike to the Sea, Cambridge Health Al-liance, the City of Malden, Combined Properties, the Malden Redevelopment Authority, Tri-CAP, and WalkMalden. Continuing what has become an annual tradition, WalkMalden plans to host the event again next year.
Those interested in taking the same walk that event attendees took on Saturday can download the River Walk event brochure here. The program is rich with information about the Malden River and surrounding sites along its expanding riverside pathway. On our Projects in the Spotlight page, view before-and-after images of 195 Canal Street, which underwent a complete transformation from a once-vacant 4.5-acre “brownfield” industrial site into an attractive modern office campus that today houses Cambridge Health Alliance’s medical center.
