FNRT press release
Friends of the Northern Rail Trail in Merrimack County (FNRT-MC) and Grafton County (FNRT-GC) were each recently awarded Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants by the New Hampshire Bureau of Trails.
FNRT-MC, which has won RTP funding eight times since 2005, plans to extend the rail trail south about three more miles from its present terminus at the Webster Farm in West Franklin to the historic Gerrish Station and Merrimack County Jail and Home in Boscawen, pending final reviews. Starting Thursday, November 8, the trail bed and existing ballast will be graded. Phase 2 of the project will begin on Monday, November 12, to spread, grade, and compact the new granite stone dust surface. This second phase should be completed in three to four days, weather permitting.
FNRT-GC has also secured grant funds from the New Hampshire Bureau of Trails and will use them to resurface about seven tenths of a mile of existing rail trail in Canaan, as far as the Orange Rock Cut.
“The hard pack resurfacing project will be bid out and hopefully enough funding will be left to do a little work around the Tewksbury Pond gates as well. FNRT-GC hopes to start work in November,” says Trail Project Administrator Ken Warren.
Franklin Savings Bank Grant
Franklin Savings Bank (FSB) President Jeff Savage announced that FNRT has been awarded a $2,500 Fund for Community Advancement grant for the extension of the recreational trail from Holy Cross Road in West Franklin to Gerrish Depot in Boscawen.
Sarah Stanley, FSB Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Community Relations Officer, commented, “We enjoy being a part of this valuable area resource that provides alternative transportation as well as four-season recreation.”
This generous gift by the Franklin Savings Bank is very much appreciated by FNRT-MC and will allow the organization to get that much closer to completing its goal of reaching Concord in the near future.
Restored Turntable In Franklin
The recently restored granite foundation of the old railroad turntable in Franklin on the Northern Rail Trail is a sight to see. This circle of granite blocks is where engines were turned to head up the Bristol Branch Line to Newfound Lake from the track otherwise headed to White River Junction, Vermont.
The restoration work was done by Billy Hurd, Thomas Richardson, Zak Adams, and Steve Rayno, all of Franklin, with funding provided by Friends of the Northern Rail Trail in Merrimack County. Newly cleaned up, seeded, and restored after years of neglect, it is already an attractive and popular trailside amenity.
Additionally, the city of Franklin has mowed both sides of the rail trail from the Andover/Franklin town line to Webster Place, opening up views and widening trail access. Friends of the rail trail are extremely grateful for all of the maintenance help offered both by the City of Franklin and by rail trail volunteers.
For more information on the 49 completed miles of the Northern Rail Trail in New Hampshire, visit NorthernRailTrailOfNH.org. The Northern Rail Trail is the longest rail trail in New Hampshire, stretching from Boscawen in the south to Lebanon in the north.