Our Project Director Tim Vermette has been secretly clearing the rail bed of brush on his days off. Since B&M Railroad ceased operation, the rail bed has been gradually reverting to a natural state of small trees, brush and vines. In the summer and fall sections nearest the downtown area have been impassable on foot without a machete and jungle guide.

One of the Methuen Rail Trail Alliance’s 2010 goals is to clear the entire Methuen section of the Manchester to Lawrence Branch line, so that it can be traversed end to end by foot and mountain bike. Please join me in thanking Tim for his incredible devotion to this goal.

the Methuen Rail Trail Alliance Annual Membership Meeting
will be held
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
7:00 meeting, 6:00 meet and great

Nevins Memorial Library
305 Broadway

Please attend if you, bring a friend if you like.
We will be setting the agenda for the upcoming year
and we would like to see all hands on board!

The kids in Methuen have been oh so busy. We have fresh tagging under the Rt 213 overpass. Admittedly the art work is quite impressive and obviously represents an investment of time and energy. However when the trail is completed this particular type of artwork will look out of place; in the meantime it is worth the walk to go check it out.

On the other hand someone scrawled traditional graffiti on the wooden trestle. This is a much bigger crime against nature. Hopefully much of the paint will not survive the winter, making removal easier in the spring. Small amounts of graffiti can be ignored for the time being but this will appear in every picture shot at this location.

New member David Gagnon and I,  joined Tim, Matt and T.J. Vermette to work on our ongoing project of trail widening. Today we targeted the small shrubs that had taken control of the ‘island’. The long term goal is to make the path on the WEST side of the trail wide enough to mountain bike or hike the trail comfortably from end to end. After taking on the island, we moved down the trail to the spot under the MSPCA bridge. Where we lopped many saplings out of the train tracks and pushed the brush back.

From NPR December 2, 2009
‘Road Rage’ Case Highlights Cyclist Vs. Driver Tension
by MANDALIT DEL BARCO

Bicycling magazine called it “the road rage incident heard ’round the cycling world.”

A driver in Los Angeles was recently convicted of using his car as a weapon against two cyclists. And the case is focusing attention on the often uneasy relationship between motorists and bicyclists who have to share the road.

It happened last year on the Fourth of July, on a steep, narrow road in L.A.’s Mandeville Canyon. Cyclists Christian Stoehr and Ron Peterson were riding side by side when a doctor who lived in the neighborhood came up from behind in a sedan.

“There was an exchange of words,” Stoehr recalls. “He then accelerated within five feet in front of us, pulled over and slammed on the brakes.”

Stoehr says there was no time for them to stop. He was thrown over the car and landed across the road. But Peterson didn’t have time to swerve.

“And he went right in through the back window of the car,” says Stoehr, adding that Peterson crashed headfirst. “I think they found his teeth in the back seat.”

(continue reading and listen to podcast)

Apparently someone at the Village Mall decided it was easier to toss their bags of leaves over the hill onto the trail. These are from the last 2 months or so; they were not there before that. Tim Vermette has been getting out there quite regularly to clean and this kind of thing is disheartening.

ed. The owners of the Village Mall are looking into the clean-up crew who did this.

Tim Vermette has done some exemplary work cleaning the north section of the trail. That section of the trail from Five Corners to the New Hampshire State lines makes a terrific short walk.

We need a round of applause for Julie Levesque (Provencal), who after much begging on my part has thankfully agreed to take on the job of Secretary pro tem. That fills the last open spot on the Methuen Rail Trail Alliance board of directors.

I am so thoroughly grateful for each and every moment that our volunteers give to the project; I know it will come back to the community ten-fold.

I am also eternally grateful for Tim Vermette our new Project coordinator, Tim has been getting out on the trail regularly and clearing the west side of the tracks of obstructions. This long term project is part of goal to make our section of trail passable by foot and mountain bike. The more people we can get out there, the more folks can see what a great hidden asset this property is.

Also working behind the scenes is Kelly Tondo, our Event coordinator. Kelly has been the driving force behind out petition drive. She has been working to get copies of our petition into local venues and get some of US some visibility in the community. Last summer’s info tables at soccer events went over like gangbusters.

And the folks who keep me propped up and on track are Harry Banks, our vice president and Rachel Banks our esteemed and put upon treasurer. Rachel and I have worked diligently to get get all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed on all the registration documents a new organization needs.

We will be having small, kitchen table MRTA meetings throughout the winter for those who want to attend; and will go back to formal meetings in the library when the snow’s clear.

Thank you all!
Joyce

We tackled a short section of track that parallels Pine St. And runs from parking lot south towards the Bridge at Five Corners. Unfortunately this area is filled with years of industrial waste from the businesses on Pine St and illegal dumping from houses on either side.

We focused on liftable items within 20 feet of the Rail Road tracks, even though the property does extend much further. Items that aren’t removable by hand will have to wait for a time when the area will be accessible by trucks and trailers and equipment.

Among the mostly metal detritus, there were approximately 13 tires, 5 electrical spools, 3 chairs, many asphalt shingles and 1 suitcase. Much of the industrial waste is unidentifiable, and seems to be general large trash pushed over the hill onto the rail road property.

Methuen Rail Trail Alliance Members who did such great work:

Julie Levesque

Tim Vermette and his sons Matt and T.J.

Rosanne and Ewald Apel and their children: Nikolas, Lukas and Jessica.

Rachel Banks

Kelly Tondo

Joyce Godsey