Outdoor recreation is a booming segment of the US economy, and development of recreational resources and/or improving existing resources can have a major impact on our community. Recent studies across the country have shown that connecting communities to natural resources can provide opportunities for economic growth, increase the quality of life of local residents, raise property values, and attract new business investment.
Developing a multi-year outdoor recreational development program is one cost efficient, effective, and regionally-based resource to help local communities recognize the Blackwater River, Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway, and the Northern Rail Trail as potential economic and community assets and thus a resource for increasing property values in our town.
Strategies may include:
- New signage along Routes 4 and 11 showing trail heads and parking areas
- Public access points to the Blackwater River
- Enhanced public facilities on the Rail Trail
- Areas for business development on the Rail Trail
- Community engagement that connects residents with organized leisure activities using local trails and/or the Blackwater River
- Encourage local businesses to offer needed goods, services, and possibly jobs that will increase use of trails and waterways
- Well-maintained and well-managed community infrastructure and resources will attract visitors and boost economic growth in both the short and long term
- Town support for economically and socially desirable land uses that support strong, vital, and healthy business growth, stability, expansion, and turnover
- Strong, healthy communities based on a sound institutional foundation that supports strategic decision-making, informed action, and continuous re-investment