Schuylkill River Trail garden to honor Reading-area philanthropist David Thun
Schuylkill River Greenways has announced plans for a trail garden in honor of David Thun, a Reading-area philanthropist and longtime greenways supporter.
The Thun Trail Garden will be a landscaped rest area for trail users featuring native plantings, benches, a bike fix-it station and a commemorative plaque honoring Thun's commitment to the organization, the trail and development of Reading's riverfront, officials said.
The area will be next to the new South Front Street section of the trail on lands the organization acquired during Thun's time as a board member.
'This is a wonderful time and place to honor David,' Elain Schaefer, greenways executive director, said during a ceremony Thursday. 'Not only for what he did for the greenways or the trail but really for this entire region.'
Officials said plans for the South Front Street trail section include connecting the existing trail along the riverfront through the Reading Area Community College campus to a completed section of the trial on River Road. It will include a short off-road section along Riverfront Drive to South Front Street through the RACC campus and under Penn Street.
The on-road trail section will be a two-way cycle track, separated from traffic with curbed vegetated island. Pedestrian crosswalks along the new trail section will be upgraded to meet ADA standards.
'We want to bring our trail into the towns it traverses,' said Kent Himmelright, greenways trail director. 'Driving the economy of the towns along our trail is one of our main goals.'
Officials said engineering for the South Front Street section is finished and work is expected to be completed within 18 months.
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