FNRT board members present: Steve Darling, Myra Mayman, Ellsworth Morton, Joyce Morton, Steve Rayno, Peter Southworth, Nita Tomaszewski, Bob Ward, and guest Karolyn Carpenter from Tilton.
Correspondence: Nita received letters from DOT with assurances that they will repair any damage to the Trail, including culverts, that may occur in its project to widen Franklin’s Route 3 (by the industrial park). She also has a letter from UMRLAC stating that any related work (in regard to Wetlands Permit Application) will also not impact the trail. Steve reported that the Brown Foundation has donated $10,000 toward the Dyer’s Crossing water damage.
Old Business
Maintenance Agreement: Bob contacted Chris Gamache (New Hampshire Trails Bureau) who stated he will attend our March 18 meeting along with colleague Shawn Violette. In regard to maintenance, we hope to clarify FNRT and state responsibilities.
Chris reported that the #1 use of RTP funds is for maintenance. Grant in Aid funding is only for snowmobile clubs. The Trails Bureau does not have the funds or staff to do much trail maintenance, only emergency problems.
It is routine for the Trails Bureau to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that spells out expectations for groups like FNRT. Chris is developing a MOU for FNRT, but Bob has not received that yet (we should see it before March). Chris observed that the future of the RTP funding is uncertain.
The significant water problem behind Jerry Hersey’s farm near Dyer’s Crossing in East Andover remains an issue that Ricker Miller is looking into. This project, to restore the railroad’s intercept ditch to carry water away from the Trail, will require significant funding.
Annual Budget (Peter and Steve D.): We discussed the specific points of the proposed budget and added another $100 for half the cost of a rental toilet at Highland Lake (split with the Highland Lake Protection Association) as well as $100 for graffiti treatment. We felt the budget reserve should be increased to $1,000, put aside annually. We discussed inviting the Andover, Boscawen, and Franklin snowmobile clubs to our April 15 meeting to explore partnering over maintenance.
Volunteers: Myra reported that Lindy has been successful in finding volunteers for managing the sponsorship page on the Web site (Pecco Beaufays); coordinating the materials and appearances of our booth/table items at events; and the Thursday’s Child dinner on April 23 (Larry Chase, with help from Charley Freiberg).
Kiosks at Two Welcome Centers: We discussed the size of future kiosks, locations, costs, etc. Ellsworth is going to draft a sketch and costs for a smaller kiosk.
New Business
Upcoming Meetings and Events: April 23: Thursday’s Child fundraising dinner at New London Inn. The next meeting is Wednesday, February 18, possibly in Boscawen.
2015 FNRT calendar: Myra will send the calendar via e-mail. June was agreed upon for the Annual Meeting.
Enfield Bridge: Last fall, DOT told the Town of Enfield they would not remove the bridge. DOT gave the Town two alternatives: do nothing, or improve the existing route that by-passes the bridge. Alex and Myra will participate in a charette this week when the Town of Enfield hopes to decide how to proceed.
Signage and Rail-Crossing Problems: Boyd Smith of Concord, with help from Jack Shields of Boscawen, is involved in connecting the FNRT trail with the Hannah Dustin Park and Ride and the Concord village of Penacook. Alex noted that we need the right to cross the Pan Am tracks. (We have since been informed that the Town of Boscawen has the necessary crossing rights.) We will need directional signs to help trail users get from the end of the Trail in Boscawen to these two locations.
Andover Town Report: Bob noted that the FNRT will be featured in the 2014 Andover Town Report.