Meeting held at the Franklin City Hall Council Chambers

Present: Alex Bernhard, Steve Darling, Tom Frantz, Norman LaPierre, Myra Mayman, Ellsworth Morton, Joyce Morton, Steve Rayno, Nita Tomaszewski, Bob Ward, and guests Carolyn Stoddard and Leigh Webb

The meeting as opened at 7 PM sharp. After the minutes of the January 15 meeting and the Treasurer’s Report were accepted, the discussion turned to Old Business.

Maintenance: With 35 miles of trail completed, we are seeking ways to handle maintenance (mowing, brush cutting, trail surface repair, washouts, culvert cleaning, and the like). Nita explained that the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee (UMRLAC) goes before the select boards of their towns, reports on their accomplishments, and asks for and receives some money from the towns for their projects.

Could we ask for labor from towns’ public works departments to help with maintenance? Bob recommended that we include this question when we discuss the maintenance budget at the March meeting. After we complete construction in 2014, maintenance will be our biggest challenge.

Steve Darling reported that in December we lost our ability to receive donations via Google Checkout. Steve has solved this by reactivating our PayPal account.

Regarding our application to Recreational Trails Program for $30,000 to finish the trail from Boscawen to the Concord city line and resurface the final mile of trail in Danbury to the Grafton County line this summer, Nita reported that text of the application is done. She is waiting to receive various letters of support. March 7 is the deadline and she is wrapping it up.

The purchase of a pop-up tent was researched and proposed by Bob Ward. He put this purchase in the context of our shift in focus to promotion and maintenance of the Trail after construction is completed this year. We don’t want to run out of steam as an organization once the sizzle of trail construction is gone.

Bob has found a company with an excellent tent. Steve Rayno offered to ask Pichet Sports if they could match the quality and price. Bob would like to expand the discussion at our March meeting to the challenge of how to keep up the energy of FNRT-MC post-construction.

Questions from our last meeting about the Boscawen segment of the Trail were discussed. Bob will pursue the suggestion that we coincide our “Finish Line” Celebration with Boscawen’s Old Home Day on August 23, 2014.

On the restoration of the Gerrish Depot building, Leigh Webb reported that Merrimack County has terminated its lease on the building. Now Ben Wilson of DRED’s Historic Buildings Bureau will be working on a Memorandum of Understanding with NHDOT Rail and Transit to permit the restoration of at least the exterior of the building using Moose plate funds.

Given our continuing need for funds, Myra reminded everyone that Thursday, April 24, is our Thursday’s Child dinner at the New London Inn. Everyone is encouraged to make a reservation, bring some friends, and eat heartily, since we will receive half of the night’s net proceeds.

Turning to New Business, we discussed relevant upcoming meetings and events. Steve Rayno will provide an FNRT presence at the Choose Franklin Community Day on May 10. Tom Frantz will pursue our having a table at the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Race, whose finish line will be on the Trail at the Potter Place culvert. We also plan to be a presence at the Special Olympics on September 27 at Proctor Academy’s Carr Field. Myra reported that the hemophilia society will have a ride on the Trail at the end of June.

Spurred by the request of the DK Motel in Franklin to be added to our Web site (which was approved), it was proposed and accepted that we charge $50 per year rather than a one-time $50 donation for all inns and bed-and-breakfasts. Alex will write all establishments currently listed on our Web site explaining this change.

Steve Rayno raised the question of connecting the spring at the Andover-Franklin line to the Trail. Alex had the water tested, and it is clean, sweet water. Steve was encouraged to get a quote for drilling a vertical connection next to the Trail.

With no further questions, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM, with thanks to Nita for arranging the meeting space in Franklin.