MethuenRailTrail

Monday I joined Conservation Officer Joe Giarrusso and MBTA’s representative Bob Lavita out on the Methuen rail road right of way.

Bob’s goal was to identify any encroachments that have occurred where fences or pavement or buildings have migrated into the right of way. The MBTA has to settle these little land problems before they can lease the property to the town of Methuen. There were very few almost all in the center of town, none will impeded the rail trail project, but it will be up to the MBTA to either reclaim the land or have the occupier enter into a lease agreement for those few feet. All the MRTA would get out of the process is a few feet here and there but none of it is a crisis of any sort.

Bob seems to be most upbeat about our lease potential and not worried about getting MBTA approval for such a thing as in his words ‘they are doing it ‘everywhere’. Indeed the MBTA is anxious to lease land that they are not actively using.

The best we can hope for is approval by September until then we just put our efforts into promoting the project and recruiting new members.