Windham Rail Trail Alliance
2012 Town Report
December 30, 2012
Founded in 2004, the Windham Rail Trail Alliance is dedicated to the development and management of this section of abandoned rail bed as a paved rail trail which is part of the Granite State Rail Trail (formerly the Salem to Concord Rail Trail.)
With the connection with Derry the 2 trails offer 8 miles of paved trail, at this writing the longest stretch along an abandoned rail bed in New Hampshire! The vision we brought to Windham has now expanded to Salem, and Londonderry is bringing a funding request to their 2013 Town Meeting for starting 1.5 miles of development. The WRTA is represented on 2 state and regional rail trail organizations. The New Hampshire Rail Trail Coalition meets quarterly and hosts an Annual meeting in November attended by typically 15 – 20 rail trail organizations. Mr. Samsel serves as Vice President and Mr. Morris is a Director. On the Regional Trails Council that represents trails along the Manchester and Lawrence corridor, Mr. Samsel serves as Treasurer. The committee is hosted by Southern NH Regional Planning.
Our 5th annual “Flat n’ Fast” 5k road race was held on Sunday June 12, with a record of 317 participants. The certified USATF race was won by Connor Habib of Methuen with a time of 17:06, and the women’s winner was Mary Garrity of Manchester at 19:01. Mary also established the new women’s record with her performance.
Approximately 432 hours were spent on maintenance by the WRTA and several trail supporters on brush cutting, trash removal, cutting downed trees, and the critical chore of clearing the trail and drainage lines of leaves, as well organizational activities. Our general trail clean up day was n May, which we will repeat in 2013. We also recognize and thank those users who contribute in their own way, picking up and keeping the trail clean.
We had 3 generous bench donations this year, one by Dave and Deb Mallon and two by Stephern Paquette. The granite bench donation program has offered an opportunity for a heartfelt remembrance that directly supports the trail. We are honored that folks look at the picturesque trail in this manner and to see the many that take advantage of a break at one of the bench sites. Please contact any of the WRTA board members for additional information.
The development of our final half mile starting at Roulston Rd is still planned however has not progressed to the point we anticipated. We strive to blend the development cost in a Public (Transportation Grant)/Private approach. The longest timeline that section of trail would complete is in the summer of 2014.
At the conclusion of the year, the Freight Wagon that was donated by George Frick of Durham is the focus of an Eagle project anticipated to complete in 2013 as well another Eagle Project will start that will tidy up and showcase the Stickney General Store cellar hole behind the C-16. These represent Eagle projects 9 & 10 along the trail.
As always, the Windham Rail Trail Alliance is thankful for the support from town officials and accolades from our users. Windham should take pride in that the success of the Windham Rail Trail has spread to neighboring towns, and along with the Derry section puts us on the “national scene”; we are happy to remain the exclamation point for rail trail recreation in Windham and New Hampshire!
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Samsel, President, Windham Rail Trail Alliance
2012 Town Report
December 30, 2012
Founded in 2004, the Windham Rail Trail Alliance is dedicated to the development and management of this section of abandoned rail bed as a paved rail trail which is part of the Granite State Rail Trail (formerly the Salem to Concord Rail Trail.)
With the connection with Derry the 2 trails offer 8 miles of paved trail, at this writing the longest stretch along an abandoned rail bed in New Hampshire! The vision we brought to Windham has now expanded to Salem, and Londonderry is bringing a funding request to their 2013 Town Meeting for starting 1.5 miles of development. The WRTA is represented on 2 state and regional rail trail organizations. The New Hampshire Rail Trail Coalition meets quarterly and hosts an Annual meeting in November attended by typically 15 – 20 rail trail organizations. Mr. Samsel serves as Vice President and Mr. Morris is a Director. On the Regional Trails Council that represents trails along the Manchester and Lawrence corridor, Mr. Samsel serves as Treasurer. The committee is hosted by Southern NH Regional Planning.
Our 5th annual “Flat n’ Fast” 5k road race was held on Sunday June 12, with a record of 317 participants. The certified USATF race was won by Connor Habib of Methuen with a time of 17:06, and the women’s winner was Mary Garrity of Manchester at 19:01. Mary also established the new women’s record with her performance.
Approximately 432 hours were spent on maintenance by the WRTA and several trail supporters on brush cutting, trash removal, cutting downed trees, and the critical chore of clearing the trail and drainage lines of leaves, as well organizational activities. Our general trail clean up day was n May, which we will repeat in 2013. We also recognize and thank those users who contribute in their own way, picking up and keeping the trail clean.
We had 3 generous bench donations this year, one by Dave and Deb Mallon and two by Stephern Paquette. The granite bench donation program has offered an opportunity for a heartfelt remembrance that directly supports the trail. We are honored that folks look at the picturesque trail in this manner and to see the many that take advantage of a break at one of the bench sites. Please contact any of the WRTA board members for additional information.
The development of our final half mile starting at Roulston Rd is still planned however has not progressed to the point we anticipated. We strive to blend the development cost in a Public (Transportation Grant)/Private approach. The longest timeline that section of trail would complete is in the summer of 2014.
At the conclusion of the year, the Freight Wagon that was donated by George Frick of Durham is the focus of an Eagle project anticipated to complete in 2013 as well another Eagle Project will start that will tidy up and showcase the Stickney General Store cellar hole behind the C-16. These represent Eagle projects 9 & 10 along the trail.
As always, the Windham Rail Trail Alliance is thankful for the support from town officials and accolades from our users. Windham should take pride in that the success of the Windham Rail Trail has spread to neighboring towns, and along with the Derry section puts us on the “national scene”; we are happy to remain the exclamation point for rail trail recreation in Windham and New Hampshire!
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Samsel, President, Windham Rail Trail Alliance