From friendly neighbors to hard-working business owners, from generous community volunteers to committed Town staff, we as a Town have worked this past year to make a better life together. So at this turning of the year, we want to take a moment to reflect on what Bridgewater has accomplished over these last twelve months.
Shiverwood Park: From the river to the ice rink, from mini-golf to Riverwalk, recreational opportunities at our parks play a big part in making Bridgewater a great place to call home. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy! 2025 witnessed the completion of our newest park, Shiverwood Park, adding to those opportunities. Not only does Shiverwood serve as a neighborhood park for residents at Bridgewater Fields, but it also provides a place for folks to relax and play after enjoying a cone next door at Smiley’s Ice Cream. The park’s central feature is a large climbing rock, a first for Bridgewater’s parks. The surrounding bench swings are ideal for taking in the surrounding mountain views.
Wellness Quarter: The dream of an indoor recreational center for Bridgewater is nearly a century old. Residents have been asking Council to consider building one since at least 1938. With the Council’s approval for the construction of Wellness Quarter at Harrison Park this past spring, that dream is well on its way to becoming a reality. Wellness Quarter will add a gymnasium for basketball, pickleball, and volleyball as well as an elevated walking track for exercise when the weather outside is less than ideal. The project also includes improvements for the Doug Will Tennis Center including new insulation and better temperature regulation.
Harman Construction broke ground in November and has already begun pouring concrete. Just this week, the steel frame was delivered and will be set in place in early 2026. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2026 and will be a welcome addition to Bridgewater’s recreational opportunities.
Historic Buildings: Making life better is not just about building new things; it is also about taking care of those things that earlier generations have built and entrusted to us. Early in the year, we made repairs to and repainted the front of our Old Town Hall (now the home of the Bridgewater Historical Society). While repairing the cupola atop the building, we discovered that the old bell still hangs there. Inside Old Town Hall, we installed new displays called Story Realms chronicling the history of the building itself and telling the story of Bridgewater Retirement Community. With the support of community volunteers, we helped the historical society keep the building open throughout the week so that more people can explore the story of how Bridgewater came to be.
This fall, we turned our attention to old depot building at Oakdale Park. The depot once stood at Depot Street and Chesapeake Avenue along the Chesapeake and Western line. It was moved to its current location at the park in the 1990’s. In preparation for Winter WonderLane, we gave the depot a fresh coat of paint, a new roof, new lighting, and new decking all around. We also preserved the original Bridgewater signs. We are currently working on a historical sign to share the legacy of the building with park visitors (this should be installed in the next few months).
Improved Infrastructure: While building new facilities and renewing old ones are hard things to miss, not all things we do are as noticeable. This does not, however, mean that they are not important to the quality of our lives. Much of our time and effort this past year has been dedicated to improving our infrastructure.
Early in the year, we replaced a water line on North River Road, being careful to safeguard the integrity of the levee that protects the Town from the river’s floods. Working around the levee is so circumscribed that the Army Corps of Engineers oversaw much of the work in person. We also replaced the pump equipment for Breezewood Terrace to help provide a more consistent water pressure for residents there. Over the past several months, we have worked with an engineer to develop plans to repair the water, sewer, and stormwater systems for the Fountainhead Subdivision and expect final plans to be delivered any day now. This fall, we worked with Columbia Gas to extend the existing gas line along Liberty and College Streets, making service available to more residences and businesses. With this work complete and the gas connection installed, we expect that Macado’s will open in the next few months. 2025 also saw the completion of Turner Ashby Drive between Melvin Circle and Oakwood Drive. This has improved the flow of traffic around the schools and reduced congestion at the Oakwood and Main intersection.
We are proud of the things we as a community accomplished in 2025 and look forward to continuing to build a better life together in 2026!
