Rail Trail e-Newsletter October, 2023 #82

Hello all,

We are now under a 1 week away from GS2023 and we still have room for you to register. Here's a LINK to the registration page.

In news on the MCRT, we had another ribbon-cutting a on a short section in Gilbertville a week ago.

Also, we have a few more stories about the tunnel closing on the Norwottuck section without a viable work around. You can that this experience has been seared into the memory banks of MassDOT for sure.

And we have a few more interesting stories for you.

One of particular interest to me is the one from Swampscott. After around 25 years of controversy and drama with trail abutters, and several years of negotiations with National Grid-- who owns the dead RR-- the town now has an agreement in-place with the utility for a long term lease of the corridor. Yay!!

No more newsletters from me until around Thanksgiving. See you at the conference in Natick next weekend.

best,

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 or its connecting paths

Ware River Park officially opens in Gilbertville section of Hardwick. This is both a municipal park and a short section of the MCRT--right along the Ware River. Read more.

This URL will not be live for a few weeks or so.

In our last issue we had stories about the RT 9 construction project resulting in the temporary closure of the Norwottuck Trail. MassDOT responded quickly to this and instituted a work-around complete with a police detail. And voila, the problem went away. Kudos to their quick response and kudos to those who spoke up. I think it is safe to say that, MassDOT won't be making that mistake ever again.

The Mass Central Rail Trail's Norwottuck branch's closed tunnel under Rt 9 now has a prim-and-proper detour around the construction. Read more.

Read about the tunnel reopening

And what about the curve at the new, eastern end?

That is what one of my NN board members, Rob Kusner, asked of MassDOT's District 2 engineers. Here's the plan of the new, gentler curve. CLICK HERE to see it.

And here's a story by Rob Kusner, Board member of NN, in the Amherst Indy newspaper about the curve

at the eastern approach of the tunnel.

Letter: Construction Around Rail Trail Underpass Requires Special Attention To Sight Lines by Rob Kusner. 9-29 Amherst INDY

SAVE THE DATE and REGISTER now!! Our 9th GOLDEN SPIKE CONFERENCE will be held on Saturday 10-14-23 at the AMVETs facility at 79 Superior Dr. Natick. The location is right between the Cochituate Rail Trail and Cochituate Lake State Park. Website is now live at: GS2023.org Full info including speakers, tours, history of our Golden Spike awards and how to register is on the site.

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.

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.

Wachusett Greenways: 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 Recent Feasibility study about how to piece together the middle sections of the MCRT.

AND IN THE WHITE AREA,

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION

SWAMPSCOTT SETTLES ON BIKE PATH PROJECT

BY ANTHONY CAMMALLERI| 10-4, Lynn Item.

SWAMPSCOTT — The town has settled its lawsuit with National Grid, which in 2021 accused Swampscott of taking the company’s property for construction of a bike path without proper compensation. The Select Board voted to sign a 99-year ground lease with National Grid. Read more.

Massachusetts Bicycle Commuter Benefits Signed Into Law!

Written by Jes Slavin of MassBike

Bike commuters across the Commonwealth need to start saving their receipts for bike-related purchases because biking in Massachusetts will now put money back in your pocket! MassBike has been supporting bicycle commuter benefits for several years and we’re thrilled to announce that they were included in the recent tax relief bill, “H.4104 An Act to improve the Commonwealth competitiveness, affordability, and equity”. Read more.

The left story below is from the CT Post where Hugh Bailey talks about the developing trail from New Haven to 'the border with Massachusetts.' The story to the right below is my letter to him that illustrates the bigger picture issues that were not mentioned.

Trail up CT's spine charts a new path Hugh Bailey, 9-24-2023 CT Post

The dream is a network of paths that allow transportation without a car all around the state. A major step toward achieving that goal is within reach.

The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail combined with the Farmington River Trail will soon offer a route all the way from Long Island Sound north to the Massachusetts border. There are a few holes to fill in, and expenses yet to be met. But even before it’s completed, it’s a remarkable achievement for a state built in large part around the needs of cars. Read more. (but it never mentions the big picture issues. The economic impact issues. But then again, I don't think the state of CT has ever written a report about what a completed Canal Trail would be worth. Can someone correct me? CDP)

Below here is my letter to Hugh Bailey describing the bigger picture issues that were not mentioned in his piece to the left. Read more.

And to the left is an infographic that shows the 3 passenger rail stations on these two corridors that could allow trail users to get back to their starting point via rail. e Heading

Place article copy here. Be sure to make the articles short and concise as people tend not to read much more than a couple of paragraphs. Place article copy here.

Text Link

AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;

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

Do communities form trails”¦ or do trails form communities?

If you ask us, the answer is: yes! Trails have the potential to powerfully influence the way a community moves. Read more

I know that some of you have seen this story before, but I'm running into more and more people needing to rebuild or replace old dead RR bridges in their town and they'll be interested in this. 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.

Here's some of the Podcasts

I've been on.

Amazingly, Constant Contact alerted us that this newsletter is in the top 10% of all of Constant Contact's newsletters, worldwide, in terms of readership engagement. Imagine that!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE THE NOTIFICATION LETTER.

Phone: 413-575-2277 or Email Me

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