Koopman Lumber Donates $45K to Support Blackstone Heritage Corridor

The Blackstone Heritage Corridor — a nonprofit offering leadership to preserve, promote, and celebrate the Blackstone Valley's historic, natural, and recreational resources — has received a $45,000 donation to its Legacy Campaign from Koopman Lumber. 

Koopman Lumber's contribution will fund efforts over the next three years to complete the Blackstone River Greenway and Bikeway, a 48-mile trail bridging Worcester and Providence.

The Blackstone River Greenway and Bikeway is an off-road, multi-use paved pathway that follows the historic Blackstone River, which flows through an area known as the “birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.”

Project organizers envision the Blackstone River Greenway and Bikeway to extend from Worcester to slightly north of Providence. The Greenway and Bikeway consists of 18 completed miles in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Upon its completion, the Blackstone River Greenway and Bikeway will provide an alternative form of transportation for commuters and the region's top-tier recreational resource. The Greenway and Bikeway, which will connect the second and third largest cities in New England, is also seen as a community amenity and tourism promotion tool.

The Blackstone Heritage Corridor completed the southern Massachusetts section at the end of 2024, connecting the trail to the Rhode Island border. Uncompleted sections of the Greenway are in Grafton, Millbury, Northbridge, Sutton, and Uxbridge in Massachusetts and Woonsocket in Rhode Island.

“We are grateful for the generosity and support of Koopman Lumber, a fourth-generation family-owned business with a long tradition of supporting the communities it serves,” said Blackstone Heritage Corridor Board Chair Dennis Rice in a statement shared with the LBM Journal. “With the help of the community and organizations like Koopman Lumber, we have made great strides toward completing the Greenway and Bikeway. We encourage others to join us. Let's get it done by '31.”

More information about the Blackstone River Greenway and Bikeway is available on the Blackstone Heritage Corridor's website.