MethuenRailTrail

There is a small group riding the Windham Rail Trail on Tuesday after supper at 6PM. Tentatively we are meeting at the Roulston Rd access. If anyone has a reason to meet up at the Windham Depot, we can easily change the meeting point. Email us if you are planning to come.

There is space for a few cars on the shoulder of Roulston Rd.

View Larger Map

Tags: event, Methuen Rail Trail Alliance, Windham Rail Trail

I know it’s a short notice reminder, but there is still a meeting tomorrow (Wed May 27th) at 7PM at the Nevins Library. It’s summer and we are all busy but we still have a couple of items on the agenda. So we will try to keep it short and sweet.

Meanwhile with all the good weather, like a lot of people I have been taking some rides on Windham’s trail. Memorial day was the busiest day I have experienced yet – it was very popular with the families and the cyclists. Then of course I had to stop and listen to the chorus of bullfrogs.

Tags: Methuen Rail Trail Alliance

The city will be providing trash bags and free t-shirts for those who sign up to attend.
Those who can’t sign up for a t-shirt are encouraged to come anyway.
See the Wild life Sanctuary meet other members and show your support for the trail project.

(BTW if you get their extra early you may catch a glimpse of the beavers, who are very early risers.)

We will be meeting at the end of Pine St.

View Methuen Rail Trail in a larger map

Tags: Clean-up days, MRTA, notices

In keeping with Methuen’s Neighborhood Spring Cleanup Day, Rail Trail volunteers are invited to come help us pick up trash at the Nevins Wildlife Sanctuary

Saturday, May 2, 2009. 9am-Noon.

Gloves and trash bags will be provided, but feel free to bring your own. Tools are not all that necessary in the sanctuary. The exact meet-up location and project site will be decided next week by Conservation Officer Joe Giarrusso.

Tags: Clean-up days, notices

Using ThePetitionSite.com we have started a petition in support of the Methuen Rail Trail. We are hoping to get at a large percentage of Methuen residents to sign.

It appears now on the left sidebar of this website–>

This is what you would be signing:

We the undersigned support the development of the Methuen Rail Trail. We believe Methuen residents deserve a safe place to recreate; a place for people of all abilities to walk, run and cycle without competing with automobiles for fresh air and the shoulder of the road. We want our city to connect to adjoining projects in the immediate area such as the Salem Bike-Bed Corridor and eventually to paths and trails beyond. We believe that this trail will decrease carbon emissions, reduce car traffic, enhance the health of our citizens, encourage all forms of exercise, and create a place for our community to connect with each other and with our natural environment.

We ask the Mayor’s office and the Methuen City Council to support this effort too.

After signing the petition please continue to http://www.methuenrailtrail.org/ for photos, maps and other info about the trail.

Please use this URL http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/methuen-rail-trail-petition
and send the petition to everyone from Methuen, who is in your address book.

The Petition is also on Facebook @ http://apps.facebook.com/petitions/view?pid=267474207
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Tags: Methuen Rail Trail Alliance

deer tracks, originally uploaded by jgodsey.

At Nevins Library in the Garden Room

Tags: Methuen Rail Trail Alliance

Wednesday March 25th at 7pm
Nevins Library ,
in the Study Room

Please join us.

Tags: Methuen Rail Trail Alliance

Wednesday March 25th at 7pm
Nevins Library ,
in the Study Room

I am hoping the better weather will bring people out whom I haven’t met before. And PLEASE people bring a friend or two.

Tags: Methuen Rail Trail Alliance

Thank you to the large contingent that showed up at tonight’s meeting. We are making great strides. Finally we have enough interested volunteers to set an agenda and focus on some goals.

Among the things we discussed:

• We batted around the myriad of reasons that we won’t be seeing a train on that right of way anytime soon.
• We discussed several different organizational structures to get us up and running without having to go straight to a 501(3)(c) of our own.
• The city’s plans for enhancing the downtown with affordable housing and alternate walking paths and bridges was discussed as it will dovetail into our plans very well.
• The Feb issue of Methuen Life has a misleading image and caption regarding the affordable housing plan, it implies that the Railroad Depot would be at risk from possible development, Being part of the MBTA rail right of way it and the trail property are safe from any sort of construction or encroachment. In fact the presence of a shared use trail would increase the
• desirability of any abutting development.

RESULTS

• A tentative goal for our Friends of the Methuen Rail Trail organization will be to groom the trail from end to end to make it completely walkable by the end of 2009. This is dependent on having a signed lease for the property before we loose too many good weather months. So barring that, the goal would be to have a signed lease in hand by the end of 2009.
• A leasing committee is being put together to walk through the language on the draft lease provided by the MBTA. Volunteers please contact me.
• We are going to look into piggy backing our org under the flag of Methuen Conservation Commission.
• A couple of us are going to Topsfield next Wed to attend the Essex National Heritage Commission Rail Trail informational meeting.

The March meeting will soon be scheduled.

Thank you to the large contingent that showed up at tonight’s meeting. We are making great strides. Finally we have enough interested volunteers to set an agenda and focus on some goals.

Among the things we discussed:

• We batted around the myriad of reasons that we won’t be seeing a train on that right of way anytime soon.
• We discussed several different organizational structures to get us up and running without having to go straight to a 501(3)(c) of our own.
• The city’s plans for enhancing the downtown with affordable housing and alternate walking paths and bridges was discussed as it will dovetail into our plans very well.
• The Feb issue of Methuen Life has a misleading image and caption regarding the affordable housing plan, it implies that the Railroad Depot would be at risk from possible development, Being part of the MBTA rail right of way it and the trail property are safe from any sort of construction or encroachment. In fact the presence of a shared use trail would increase the
• desirability of any abutting development.

RESULTS

• A tentative goal for our Friends of the Methuen Rail Trail organization will be to groom the trail from end to end to make it completely walkable by the end of 2009. This is dependent on having a signed lease for the property before we loose too many good weather months. So barring that, the goal would be to have a signed lease in hand by the end of 2009.
• A leasing committee is being put together to walk through the language on the draft lease provided by the MBTA. Volunteers please contact me.
• We are going to look into piggy backing our org under the flag of Methuen Conservation Commission.
• A couple of us are going to Topsfield next Wed to attend the Essex National Heritage Commission Rail Trail informational meeting.

The March meeting will soon be scheduled.

Tags: Methuen Rail Trail Alliance