Rail Trail e-Newsletter September, 2024 #88

Hi all,

The Ride N2B on the MCRT last weekend was a success, though part of the 2nd day was a washout. We have a nice article from the Ware River News--the newspaper of record for Ware, Massachusetts. We'll have more info on the over-all ride after we have a debrief. Stay tuned.

A couple of interesting stories from NH and from CT in this issue. That's never happened before in the seven years we've been doing this e-Newsletter. (2 from NH and 2 from CT)

Enjoy the beginning of fall.

Craig Della Penna, Board President

Norwottuck Network, Inc.

62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062

413 575 2277 CraigDP413@gmail.com

In the GREEN area, we have news about the

Mass Central Rail Trail

and perhaps some of the 18 other trails that connect to it.

Three-day bike ride aims to finish 100+ mile trail

By Paula Ouimette pouimette@turley.com Ware River News. WARE –

A dozen cyclists set off from Northampton this past Friday, traveling across the commonwealth using segments of the Mass Central Rail Trail and roadways. The cyclists, who are ambassadors for the rail trail, made stops at key communities along the length of the 104-mile trail which runs from Northampton into Boston, with the hope of spreading awareness for the work that still needs to be done to complete the trail along the former railroad corridor. The first stop of this three-day event was at the New England Small Farm Institute in Belchertown, where the cyclists were joined by the Friends of the Belchertown Greenway. Read page 2. Read page 3.

Communities on the

on the MCRT and their websites

Did you know that many communities (or groups like land trusts) on the MCRT alignment are working on their section of the trail?

Here's a link to a two-page infographic about the history of the MCRT

Here's a link to the report that answers the main question. "What would a completed MCRT mean to the Commonwealth and the communities along the way."

Here are links to websites where you can learn who the contact person is, when these groups meet, when hearings are being planned and how to sign up to get notices sent directly to you.

Belmont: Link here to the town appointed committee.

Belmont: Link here to the Belmont Citizens Forum.

Belmont: Link here to the Friends of the Community Path Facebook group.

Somerville: Link here to the Friends of the Community Path Facebook group.

Waltham: Link here to the Waltham Land Trust's site.

Waltham: Link here to the Waltham Bike Committee.

Waltham: Link here to the City's page about the MCRT.

Weston: Link here to the town's page about the MCRT

Weston: Link here to the history of both the RR and the advocacy to create the trail. Over 25 years of advocacy. It is now open.

Wayland: Link here.

Sudbury: Link here for the N-S intersecting trail--Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.

Berlin-Hudson: Link here to the new FaceBook group.

Friends of the Berlin Rail Trail. newly stood up in 2023. Link here.

Berlin: Link here goes to the town's Rail Trail Committee. They also have a pretty nice website with pictures of the existing dead RR corridor along other maps and images of a future trail. Link here.

Wayside segment of the MCRT: Link here to a regularly updated history of DCR's efforts on building out this complicated trail.

Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust: Link here. updated info.

Clinton Tunnel: Link here to a story on WBZ Boston TV about the tunnel. And link here to a more recent story on MassLive about tunnel and efforts to restore it.

Wachusett Greenways section in the center of the state: Link here.

Wachusett Greenways Facebook page with a link to their E-newsletter: Link here.

East Quabbin Land Trust: Link here.

Palmer coming soon

Ware: Link here to the Facebook group about this segment of the MCRT'.

Belchertown: Link for the site for Friends of the Belchertown Greenway.

Amherst, Hadley on DCR's Norwottuck section of the MCRT: Link here.

Northampton area: Link here to the Friends of Northampton Trails website.

Northampton area: Link here to the Friends of Northampton Trails Facebook.

Here's DOT's Feasibility study about how to piece together the middle sections of the MCRT.

And here's the report that describes what a completed MCRT will mean to the Commonwealth and the communities along the way.

AND IN THE WHITE AREA,

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION

An interesting story from CT

A recent story (below left) from the Harford Courant about a couple of gaps in the longest interstate trail in New England. On the right it tells how the gaps can be filled.

CT’s longest rail trail nearing completion but faces two major obstacles

By Don Stacom | Hartford Courant 9-24-24

On the long-running campaign to complete a New Haven to Northampton rail trail, advo-cates made progress this summer when the final long stretch in Southington was opened to riders, pedestrians, skateboarders and other users.

Running from Lazy Lane to Aircraft Road, the new 1.27-mile section leaves less than a mile to finish before the trail’s southern end reaches the Plainville line.

But from there, the next steps will be especially hard: Less than a mile north of Aircraft Road, abandoned and rusting railroad tracks give way to the southern end of the still-active Pan Am Railways freight line. Read more.

On this Friday, 10-4-24, at 1 pm I'll be speaking at the State of CT's Trail Symposium at Manchester Community College about building out the longest and most complicated trail project in New England--the MCRT. More info here.

In 2004-05 a series of meetings were held at the home of the lead lobbyist for the Maine State Railroad Association. Among those in attendance were attorneys for the Eastern Trail Alliance, a top Vice President of Pan-Am Railways, and senior manage-ment for a company that had a 700 PSI natural gas pipeline in a former RR RoW in Maine.

They crafted new text for the state's Rec-Use Statutes. Text that included railroads and utilities as owners of land, who, if they opened it up for rec-uses, those owners would not have any liability. The law in Maine passed in 2005. Here it is.

In 2009, Mass passed a similar law. Also at the bill signing ceremony was senior staff from the Real Estate Dept of National Grid. NGrid is the 2nd largest land owner of dead RRs in Mass and they too had an interest in improving the laws. Here that is. In 2013, MassDOT put out a directive that they want to see more rail-w-trail projects. Here's that document.

And yet here is CT's Rec-use laws. No mention of RR's or utilities etc. There's your answer CT. Fix your Rec-use laws by bring them into the 21st century. Like other places.

And here is a couple of interesting stories from New Hampshire

NHDOT officials given extension to respond to Derry Rail Trail lawsuit

Paul Feely, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester 9-26-24

State and federal highway officials, citing legal counsel's workload and prior commitments, have received an extension to respond to a lawsuit filed by rail trail activists looking to halt construction of Exit 4A on Interstate 93.

Derry Rail Trail advocates are suing the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and Federal Highway Administration over plans to eliminate a popular planned tunnel along the route. Read more about the lawsuit. Read more about the tunnel that should be there.

Northern Rail Trail extension to Concord stuck in limbo

Extending the Northern Rail Trail to Concord has been bogged down in over four years of negotiations and delays, with completion still a way off. 9-25-24 Sruthi Gopalakrishnan / Concord Monitor

Initial work began in 2019 when Concord entered negotiations with Pan Am Railways to purchase a five- to seven-mile stretch of abandoned rail corridor.

In 2021, the city brokered a purchase agreement for the project, but it soon encountered a series of roadblocks after the state DOT intervened, leaving it on hold ever since and frustrating those eager to see the rail trail extended through the area. (Wait, wait, it gets worse, CSX is now involved. CDP) Read more.

AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;

Interesting, "HIGH ALTITUDE" Stories From Around the Country and Sometimes Beyond.

When we were organizing our cross-state ride--Ride N2B on the MCRT, and we discovered the lack of suitable lodging in the middle of the state, that set off alarm bells for me. As someone who has been operating a successful bed & breakfast next to a trail for over 20 years, I was shocked to see a giant hole in the middle of Mass.

Now, we've been thinking about that deficiency and we might have a good plan in a few months that we can talk about. In the meantime, here's a great blog post about hotels rethinking their cookie-cutter approach and embracing "local". CDP

Travelers are no longer satisfied with cookie-cutter hotel experiences. Instead, they want to feel connected to the destination they visit. Modern travelers want to feel immersed in local culture, history, and community — and experience a true sense of place while away.

For hotels, this presents an opportunity.

By embracing place-based branding—an approach that weaves local culture and traditions into the hotel’s identity, experiences, and programming—hotels can differentiate themselves and create more meaningful guest experiences. This approach not only helps establish strong connections with guests but also helps support the local economy and strengthens the community.

In this blog, I’ll explore the growing importance of place-based branding in hotel development, why it resonates so strongly with travelers, and how hotels can implement this strategy to enhance guest experiences. Read more.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The new Norwottuck Network is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation specifically set up to help get the longest rail trail in New England--the Mass Central Rail Trail --built-out, operational and notable.

We can help do that by making small, mini-grants available to local groups and communities that will bring restore/renovate/replace historic mile-markers on the corridor. Or help fund kiosks that will call out forgotten railroad or industrial history of that locale.

Or if and when we need to, (or are asked to) we will commission major reports to answer the "elephant in the room" questions, never asked.

We will want to work with the state park agency Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on standardized kiosk designs.

We will keep you all posted as to developments as we go. We have made it easy to DONATE through the Network for Good.

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