The January Meeting was such a success, we are penciled in for Wed Feb 11th @ 7pm again in the Trustee’s Room of the Nevins Library.
Attendees Rachael and Harry Banks turned out to be extremely enthusiastic about the project, as well as State Representative Linda Dean Campbell who popped by to get in on the project. Rep Campbell gave us the low down on other plans for the downtown area which will dovetail nicely with the trail project. Folks who pop by the Feb meeting will be brought up to speed on what we have been up to.
From: essexheritage.org
Sent: 1/22/2009 4:39:28 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Rail Trail Presentations, February 18, Topsfield
Essex Heritage is pleased to provide notice of an upcoming event regarding the development of rail-trails in our region. As you know, Essex Heritage is working with eight communities, MassHighway, MVPC, MAPC, and National Grid to plan and develop the long envisioned Border to Boston Trail, a 28-mile trail stretching from the New Hampshire border in Salisbury to Danvers.
Bill Steelman
Essex National Heritage Commission
(978) 740-0444
bills@essexheritage.org
The Topsfield Rail Trail Committee invites you to a special evening of Rail Trail talk :
Stephen Winslow, Esq. will talk on the Massachusetts Chapter 21: Section 17C. Public use of land for recreational, conservation, scientific educational and other purposes; landowner’s and liability limited. He knows it well since he was involved in its creation while on the Governor’s council. Steve is the President of Bike to the Sea and the Northern Strand’s trail effort. See Bike to the Sea.com which goes from Malden to Revere.
Craig Della Penna wears many hats including that of railroad historian, real estate broker specializing in properties on or near recreational paths, and has authored several books on rail trails in the east. You will find out more than you ever wanted to know at Greenway Solutions and CraigDP.com but to see and hear him speak volumes is a great experience.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Joe Geller, Chairman
Topsfield Rail Trail Committee
978 887-7000
jg@gellermicro.com
About 30 folks from the local geocaching community showed up to clean up a vacant area at the end of Cambridge St. I also showed up to shamelessly plug the rail trail, which would make a primo geocaching playground, and met with a modicum of success. Hopefully i will have drafted a few folks over to the trail project. BTW 172 tires were recovered and sent to tire heaven. I guess we have been very lucky, there are probably only a dozen tires on the entire two and a half miles of rail bed, though there is a couch and a shopping carriage or two.
Saturday, December 6th from 8:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
2 1/2 hours to clean a small lot at the end of Cambridge Street
in Methuen that has many discarded tires and other debris; collected over many years.
Apparently we aren’t the only ones looking at cleaning a little greenspace in town. I will try to get out there and do my bit, and hopefully draft some recruits for our cause.
I will be at the Methuen Family Restaurant Wed, Dec 3rd at 5:30, if anyone wants to catch up on the project. I will be the harried looking middle-aged woman with a pile of papers instead of food.
It would help to push things along if I can get this project out of cyberspace and into the real world.
I am hoping to have a few casual meet-ups through December and call for a larger meeting in January. I can be at Methuen Family Restaurant this WEDNESDAY EVENING at 5:30 if anyone wants to meet me there to discuss the trail project.
Next week I can pick a different day and time if that will help.
Please let me know if you are even THINKING of coming.
If folks could email it to anyone and everyone they know in town even if you don’t think they are interested, that person could know someone who is.
It can also be printed and mailed and left on counters all over town. I am going to try to mail out about 60 of them today.
Getting the word out and recruiting people is vitally important to the momentum of this project. We can’t let the opportunity pass us by. It can’t get any easier than this, our trail lies at the end of another trail which is in development. Not only will we have a wonderful greenway of our own for recreation but we will be connected to the entire community.
