bicycling

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Invest in the Trail: Matching Grant & New Pathway Campaign Launches!

West River Trail Autumn

We have an unprecedented opportunity to advance the mission of the Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT) on both ends of our beloved corridor. The Upper Section is leveraging a $10,000 matching grant to eliminate property debt and unlock future improvements, while the Lower Section is launching the ambitious campaign to create the new Fort Hill Trail Extension. Your support today will ensure we move from maintaining the past to building the future.

Since 1992, the long-term goal of the Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT) has been to establish a seamless, scenic corridor through the West River Valley, securing as much of the historic West River Railroad bed as possible to ultimately link towns from Brattleboro to South Londonderry; this vision is realized through the focused efforts of two groups: the Upper Section, which maintains and enhances trails on public lands in Londonderry, Jamaica, and Townshend, and the Lower Section, which concentrates on expansion efforts in the south, from Brattleboro into Dummerston.

Upper Section: $10,000 Matching Grant to Eliminate Debt: Letter from Greg Meulemans, President, Friends of the West River Trail

We have very exciting news to share. The FWRT has been offered a special, one-time opportunity to eliminate the debt incurred by our acquisition of the Derby property adjacent to the South Londonderry West River trailhead. A generous donor has offered a matching grant of up to $10,000 to help us shed this burden. Eliminating this debt will immediately enhance our ability to improve both the Trail and the Depot and to expand our educational and entertainment programs. Note the word “matching”, every dollar you donate is doubled!

As a user of this well-loved community resource, we are asking for your help to eliminate this debt so we can focus entirely on the trail. The Friends chose to acquire this property to protect access to the trailhead and to permit the potential future improvements of increased parking and the installation of an information kiosk. These enhancements have been delayed while we amortize the purchase cost.

Our normal operating income currently only covers our basic operating expenses, including those debt payments, leaving little room for the crucial improvements we want to make and leading to deferred maintenance of the Depot.

We know you believe in our organization’s mission. We hope we can count on you to be generous and not let this unique opportunity slip away.

Please help us realize this one-time opportunity for the Upper Section of the West River Trail. Thank you for your interest and consideration! 

While the Upper Section focuses on unlocking existing infrastructure, the Lower Section is focused on an exciting new expansion.

Lower Section: Building the Fort Hill Trail Extension: Letter from Friends of the West River Trail, Lower Section Steering Committee

The Lower Section has had an active year, significantly improving the West River Trail by installing new culverts, clearing ditches, and enhancing accessibility, all thanks to your ongoing support!

Now, we’re looking to the future with an exciting vision: the creation of the new Fort Hill Trail Extension in Brattleboro. This ambitious project will extend from Bridge Street to the abandoned Fort Hill Railroad Bridge, securing key easements and rights-of-way.

Imagine a pedestrian and bicycle path offering stunning river views and directly connecting Brattleboro to over 80 miles of existing rail-trails in New Hampshire!

We are committed to building this pathway without direct town funding, but realizing this vision, including necessary infrastructure separation, requires significant capital.

Our Goal: The estimated capital required for the Fort Hill Trail Extension is at least several hundred thousand dollars.

Please consider an early donation today to help us make the Fort Hill Trail Extension a reality! Your generosity is also vital for the ongoing, critical maintenance of the existing West River Trail.

Support the FWRT Today

As the year comes to a close, we sincerely hope you will consider including the West River Trail in your year-end charitable giving plans, if you are able. The West River Trail is a vital place of community, happiness, and outdoor recreational opportunity.

As an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, your contribution is fully tax-deductible. Click here to donate.

To double your impact for the Upper Section. Click on Make a Donation for the Upper Section. Donations can also be made out to Friends of the West River Trail, Upper Section, and mailed to P.O. Box 2086, South Londonderry, VT 05155.

To help fund the new Pathway for the Lower Section and to support the ongoing, critical maintenance of the existing West River Trail, click on Make a Donation for the Lower Section.

Thank you for your generosity!

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Trail Use Increases

West River Trail user counts 2013 - 2020, West River Trail, Brattleboro, VT.

The Windham Regional Commission does routine counts of the use of the West River Trail. Counts from this past April and September show an increase in trail use since COVID-19 for both walkers and bicyclists. Great to see that so many of us are able to utilize the West River Trail during this challenging time.

A big thanks to Jeff Nugent for his work on tracking trail use and for creating and sharing this graph. For more information on the work of the WRC, please visit their website at windhamregional.com. Click on the image above for the full 2 page report.

Keep yourself and others safe on the West River Trail by following posted COVID-19 safety protocols. 

Please share this area safely and responsibly.
Use the trail only if you feel well and have not been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
Practice social distancing – maintain at least 6 feet between yourself and those not in your family.
Wear a mask. Save N95 masks for healthcare professionals; use a homemade cloth mask, purchased mask, or bandana.
Avoid shared surfaces such as benches, picnic tables, railings.
Consider less traveled trails if the trail or parking lot appears crowded.

If you use the trail regularly, and are in a position to support the trail, please consider making a donation to help maintain the trail. The Friends of the West River Trail is a registered 501 (3) (c) organization. Click HERE TO DONATE.

Enjoy the trail and be well and stay safe!

The Conversation Continues on Route 30 Gateway Improvements

I-91 bridge Jan 2016The conversation continues on Route 30 gateway improvements. Excerpt from an article in The Commons.

At a May 24 informational meeting, consultants contracted to conduct the study released a draft existing-conditions report and sought feedback from an audience of approximately 20 people.

Alex Wilson of the Friends of West River Trail discussed plans for a pedestrian bridge across the West River to connect Route 30 to the trail. Plans for a cable pedestrian bridge slung under the new Interstate-91 bridge were abandoned, Wilson said. Costs for cabling were higher than expected and the bridge would sway too much, he said. Wilson, who also serves on the community advisory committee, said the Friends are instead investigating constructing a bridge at a narrower part of the river near the West River Park.

Full article available at The Commons website. Originally published in The Commons issue #359 (Wednesday, June 1, 2016). This story appeared on page A1.

For more information click on the Place Sense website.

Light up the Night Bicycle Ride
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Light up the Night Bicycle Ride

Attention all bicycle riders! Light up the night! On December 21, 5:30 pm, meet at Pliny Park in Brattleboro. Deck out your bike to outshine the holiday lights in Brattleboro. Ride south on Main St, south on Canal, RT on Fairview, LT on Maple, RT on Guilford Extension past Living Memorial Park, RT on Western Ave, back to downtown. Followed by social at a downtown location. Spread the word. Please contact Alice Charkes (acharkes@myfairpoint.net) for info.

Winter Newsletter 2013
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Winter Newsletter 2013

 

WINTER NEWSLETTER 2013

Friends of the West River Trail

HOW DID IT GET TO BE FEBRUARY ALREADY?
We hope your holidays were happy and that your new year is going well so far!
Reports say that since the snows fell, both the upper and lower sections of the trail has been very nice for skiing and snowshoeing, (depending on the freezes and thaws, of course). I hope some of you have had a chance to get out there and enjoy this beautiful trail during the winter season!

AN INVITATION TO AN OPEN HOUSE
Doings at the Depot!
The public is invited to attend an Open House and social hour, with refreshments provided, hosted by the Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT), to be held on Tuesday, February 12, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, in the South Londonderry Depot on Route 100.
At the Open House, visitors will be updated on the current projects involving both the West River Trail (South Londonderry to Brattleboro when completed) and the Depot itself. Recent significant advances in trail development in the Brattleboro area by the Southern Section of the Friends will be recognized.
During the social hour, the latest prize of memorabilia at the Depot will be formally introduced: a locomotive bell generously donated by William and Agnes Peele. It is believed that the bell came from one of the last regularly operated steam locomotives on the Santa Fe Railroad.
Tim Lawrence will also be on hand to present a narrated video depicting his recent experience hiking on a rail trail, one of a series he is producing, and will also, as a rail historian, update us on the status of his “Forgotten Railroads” project. Timothy W. Lawrence is Founder and Videographer, I.M.R. Films, created in 2003. Since that time, he has worked on numerous projects from online advertising for Coca-Cola and Comcast to corporate videos for companies such as Skyhorse Publishing, Living WRAP and more. He resides locally, in Windham, VT.
The Open House will be preceded at 5:30 PM by a short business meeting of the FWRT Board, which visitors are welcome to attend if they choose.
Please plan to join your friends and the Friends of the West River Trail for an enjoyable and informative evening.

BIG NEWS!
We have met our phase 1 fundraising goal! The Thomas Thompson Trust agreed to grant us $10,000 once we raised $35,000 from the community — which we have done!!! Hurray! Many, many individuals, grant-making organizations and businesses helped make this happen. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

SO, WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
Some of you may have noticed that fine crushed stone was spread on the trail late fall, starting just past the I-91 bridge and continuing for the next mile north. The material was donated by Mike Cersosimo, and the spreading and rolling was nicely done by Jason Evans. If you were able to walk or ride on that section of trail before the snow fell, you would have noticed that it’s a nice improvement to a section that was fairly bumpy due to exposed tree roots and holes. In the spring, we will see how the new surface withstood the winter and will welcome feedback on it. If the feedback is positive, we will explore whether other areas of trail could benefit from the same treatment.

We have two beautiful kiosks in place! They were built and installed by Morse and Mindell builders. One is at the Marina trailhead and the other at the Rice Farm Rd trailhead. Many thanks for this donation from Jonathan Morse, Stephen Mindell and their crew. Thanks also to Home Depot in Keene, NH for selling us the supplies at a discount.

We received a grant from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps! We’ll be getting a crew of youth for 4 weeks this summer. They will focus on building the new section of trail from Rice Farm Rd to the quarry on Quarry Rd, and on installing bridges.

SAFETY ON THE TRAIL
The Brattleboro Police Department Bicycle Patrol has been patrolling the lower section of the trail two to three times weekly (when it is clear enough of snow) to look for any safety or maintenance issues. We encourage all trail users to notify us of any safety or maintenance issues you encounter, by emailing at lowersection@westrivertrail.org.

PHOTO GALLERY
Check out the Gallery on the FWRT website for great photos from the trail. You’ll also see how you can send in your photos to be included in the Gallery. If the trail has been your muse and you have writings or artwork inspired by your experiences, we would love to post them on the website. Please send them in! We also welcome your blogs or comments!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Spring Workdays on the lower section: when the ground is workable and the weather is amenable, we’ll be starting these up again. Watch for an email with dates or check the website.

Volunteer Workday Coordinator: We need a volunteer or two to help Jason Cooper plan, and lead work groups on the lower section. If you are interested, please email us at: lowersection@westrivertrail.org

Website updating: We need someone with website skills to help us keep the website updated. Do you have skills you could offer? Contact us at lowersection@westrivertrail.org

Posting information on our new kiosks: We need a volunteer to fill our kiosks, by posting signs, maps, announcements, photos, information of interest.

Enjoy the winter, and we look forward to seeing you on the trail!

Best,
Kathleen, for the Friends of the West River Trail

Friends of the West River Trail – Lower Section, 138 Elliot Street, Suite 3, Brattleboro VT 05301
http://www.westrivertrail.org