Meeting location: Boscawen
Present: Alex Bernhard, Steve Darling, Lindy Heim, Charles Martin, Myra Mayman, Joyce Morton, Ellsworth Morton, Steve Rayno, Nita Tomaszewski, Bob Ward. Guests: Mike Cunningham of Boscawen, Craig Tufts of Central New Hampshire Planning, and Heather Deardorff of Concord
Special guest Craig Tufts, of Central New Hampshire Planning, led a discussion of trail usage counts. Craig suggested automated equipment for counting trail users and generating reports: numbers and types of users (bicyclists, walkers, adults, children), which direction they’re travelling in, impact of weather, weekly usage patterns.
The key is to figure out first what you want to find out. There isn’t currently a standard for counting bicyclists and pedestrians in the planning world – unlike cars and traffic.
Craig offered support and help with grants, graphics, and analysis. Having data could/should be advantageous to us in fundraising, programming, and developing economic impact studies.
Steve Darling gave the Treasurer’s Report. Our financial picture is similar to last month’s. Additional Annual Appeal contributions have come in. Last year we raised $8,400 in memberships; so far this year, about $6,000. This money is very significant in meeting the challenges of annual trail maintenance.
Regarding maintenance, there was a vote to approve up to $1,000 for ditching at Carr Street and water bars on the ramps at Chance Pond Road, both in Franklin. Nita suggested that in the future we have written proposals with pictures.
Mike Cunningham reported two washouts, near Depot Street and Sanborn Farm Road, both in Boscawen.
Regarding kiosks, Alex suggested two more kiosks, one at the start of the trail on River Road in Boscawen, and one at the parking area across from the Danbury Country Store. If we decide to proceed, we need to find a volunteer to make these for us. Ellsworth Morton was thanked for creating the kiosks at Gerrish Depot and East Andover.
Report on Boscawen signage: Jack Shields has created very legible blue signs to direct people from Hannah Dustin Park and Ride and the start of the trail on River Road.
We agreed on where our next meetings will be held, continuing our policy of rotating meetings among the towns through which the trail goes:
- July 15 at Danbury Community Center
- August 19 at Andover Fire Station
- September 16 Pot Luck Supper at Highland Lake Inn
- November 18 at Franklin Regional Hospital
Charles proposed having a public event on the history of the Northern Railroad, with Andover Historical Society, a discussion by preservationist Lisa Mausolf, and Northern Railroad historian Ken Cushing. Nita thinks it would be a good opportunity to promote the trail and attract new members.
Consensus is that this would be a good idea; it fulfills the “promote” part of our mission, to “improve, promote, and maintain” the Northern Rail Trail.
Heather Dearsdorff offered to see if we could be represented at the upcoming Concord Market Days and offered to staff a table with information to heighten our profile in Concord.
Peter Southworth is coordinating a FNRT-MC table for the Andover Fourth of July celebration.
It was voted to reimburse Steve Rayno $150 to replace his leaf blower. He was thanked for taking the initiative to remove debris from the trail in a very long stretch in Franklin and Boscawen.
Nita reported on the Upper Merrimack Local Advisory Committee’s work to have the Franklin section of the Merrimack River designated as a federal “Wild and Scenic” area. It will take several years to work through the process. This designation protects a river and brings federal dollars for recreation, similar to the national parks, but without the rangers.