By Jesse Williams / Zip06.com • 4/28/2021 8:15 AM EST

The Guilford Preservation Alliance (GPA) has worked with city officials and other citizens to create a comprehensive map and guide.

The hope is that it has the potential to boost tourism, real estate, and educate local residents who are interested in exploring the Guilford countryside.

The map offers a variety of leisure and cultural opportunities and is based on extensive geographic and environmental data. According to GPA members, the map was created from the same impulse as the kiosk next to the community center and is intended to serve as a stepping stone for them.Both townspeople and visitors have access to the city and show everything from hiking trails to school facilities.

“The people who came to the kiosk were actually looking for a home and wanted a general idea of ​​how far the green was from their location and what schools they attended,” said Martha Safirstein, a GPA board member also played a key role the implementation of the kiosk project. “This card really fulfills a lot of needs for people visiting the city.”

“It’s almost the last step in our tourism initiative,” said GPA President Shirley Girioni.

The GPA, according to its website, is a not-for-profit organization focused on the conservation and protection of Guilford, including the restoration of buildings and landscapes. The kiosk, currently located next to the community center, was one of the organization’s most visible projects and includes additional guides and educational resources.

With the kiosk in its sixth year, Safirstein said putting together an accessible map that included more than just hiking trails and the greenery was an obvious need and was frequently requested by visitors. In its original form, the map mainly focuses on recreational opportunities, but GPA members said it was possible that more cultural or historical landmarks could be added in the future.

Environmental planner Kevin Magee helped with the specific geographic data and official maps, while GPA members Safirstein and Tracy Tomaselli, who also work as historians at the Guilford Free Library, directed the remainder of the project with support from the rest of the organization.

Every destination and landmark contains important additional information – if there are fees or lifeguards on a beach, e.g. B. whether fishing is allowed in a certain place or how big or difficult the hiking trails are.

Magee indicated that someone could use the map to take a hike from Long Island Sound to the city’s northern boundary, using only open spaces and trails.

Each school campus and the leisure activities available there are also part of the map.

However, according to Magee and Pat Kral (another GPA board member) it was an extensive process to work out all the details. It lasted at least four years and went through several iterations.

“It was really a team effort,” said Safirstein.

In the short term, GPA members said there were plans to convert the map into foldable, portable versions that visitors to the city could hand out or carry. Long-term, Safirstein said the “open source” nature of the map means that other people could go upon themselves to expand the map’s level of detail or add new categories or points of interest – from notable historic buildings to other open space recreations.

“If someone wants to extrapolate on this map, the better. The more the better – it’s better to have more information than less, ”said Safirstein.

To learn more about the GPA, visit guilfordpreservation.org.

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