This just in from the City.
I plan on being there, if anyone else from the project can join me.
This is very exciting, this is JUST the type of development we need to make our Rail Trail a important local feature.
joyce
City of Methuen, Massachusetts
Department of Economic & Community Development
The Searles Building, 41 Pleasant Street
Methuen, Massachusetts 01811
Telephone (978) 983-8560 Fax (978) 983-8976
MEMORANDUM
TO: To all Abutters of the Osgood/Railroad/River St& Site Area
FROM: Community Development Department
City of Methuen
DATE: June 29, 2009
RE: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT MEETING — JULY 14 2009
Dear Residents:
The City of Methuen applied for and received a grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to hire a consultant to determine the feasibility of developing mixed-income housing, and/or mixed-use development, in or near the Methuen Central Business District. The Osgood/Railroad/River Streets site has been selected as an area of interest in creating possible mixed-use development Your attendance is greatly appreciated as the City is looking to obtain the resident& opinions and concerns.
Should you have any questions prior to this meeting, please feel free to call Ms. Karen
A. Sawyer, Director, Community Development at (978) 983-8660, Monday through
Thursday, 8:00am to 4:30pm and Friday, 8:00am to 12:O0noon.
-- Joyce Godsey President Methuen Rail Trail Alliance 978-376-5619 cell 866-416-6101 fax info@methuenrailtrail.org
Tags: community development, Methuen
We really need bike racks, this is getting dangerous.
When I stopped, the boys ran out to be in the picture, and they agreed – we need bike racks.
Tags: bike racks, Cycling, Methuen
just another day in Downtown Methuen
Tags: bike racks, Cycling, Methuen
That’s it. In a nutshell. It is not that Methuen doesn’t care about people on bikes, as a community we don’t seem to WANT people on bikes. Obviously not on the roads, as any biker can tell you of close calls with scary cars and broken curbstones, but they don’t even want to just let bikers ‘BE’.
In celebration of today’s Bike to Work day or week or whatever they hell it is, I figured I’d do what I could and use my bike to do a bit of shopping over at Twaites. (I am still not brave enough to try to go so far as Stop and Shop or Demoulas.) I got across Gaunt Square easy peasy and decided to take our lovely scenic bridge and skip the challenge that is Five Corners. And THAT’s when I almost took a header on this lovely freaking surprise. The morons at Mill Falls Apartment took their damaged and never installed bike rack from the parking lot and tossed it onto the bridge. If I weren’t going so slowly I wouldn’t be typing to you now, I’d be sitting somewhere with a gash on my head wondering what the hell just happened.
Now I know they don’t WANT a bike rack there else they would have one that was properly installed and wasn’t dented by snow plows, but simply shoving it out of the way like this is irresponsible.
Nevertheless I DID make it to Twaites and took a little side trip to Mexico Lindo to pick up a few noshes. Ignoring the fact that as a city we have about 7 bike racks to our name. (45 thousand people 7 bike racks..go figure) But I did have a nicely bloodless trip.
Now I need to find some removable panniers if I am going to do this kind of thing on a regular basis. Cause right now I am wishing I had stopped at Rostens and bought a few beers. So I can sulk in silence. Is it just too much to ask why we don’t like BIKES here?
Tags: bike racks, City Of Methuen, Cycling, Methuen
Last night Methuen’s Mayor Manzi gave his 2009, State of the City address . . . the speech highlights are posted on his blog @ BillManzi.com and the entire text downloadable as a PDF file.
Below I have excerpted the section regarding parks, recreation and rail trail:
“During the summer, Forest Lake is a refuge from the heat for many Methuen residents. Unfortunately, due to high bacteria levels, the lake has been closed to swimming for significant parts of the last few summers. Last year, I put a team together to conduct further testing, improve land management, increase filtration and enhance animal control. As a result, the lake was able to stay open for the remainder of the summer after the improvements were made. I will continue these efforts this year and look forward to working with the revitalized Forest Lake Association.
Continuing on the subject of parks and recreation, plans for the new park and boat ramp at the former Bea’s restaurant site have been finalized and I expect construction work to begin this spring. Plans are also underway for the non-profit Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) to create and take stewardship of a “Healing Garden” at Henry P. Schruender Memorial Park on the Merrimack River. The garden will be a place for meditation and reflection. My thanks to Jayann Landry of T.I.P. and City Councilor Deborah Quinn, who have worked hard to make this possible. It will be the first Healing Garden in the area. Initial plans are also underway to construct a “rail-trail” along the abandoned rail line that runs through downtown Methuen.
Methuen is a city that is very much alive with culture and history. Last year I was happy to establish a summer concert series in historic Grey Court Park. The series was very popular and I look forward to doing it again this year. My thanks to Paul and Denis Webster Greene for all of their hard work on this concert series. The City’s Artist of the Month program continues to thrive. I look forward to meeting Methuen’s talented artists every month as they hang their work in my office.
We are close to finalizing an arrangement to move Methuen’s historic collection into the former Central School building. Last year the need for better space was highlighted by the near destruction of a priceless Robert Frost attendance register. Luckily, the register was recovered before it was damaged and was displayed publicly for the first time ever.”
Tags: City Of Methuen, Methuen
just another reminder that Methuen needs bike racks.
Tags: bike racks, Methuen
Apparently the last minute notification worked very well. Only about six civilians were actually in attendance, everyone else present was part of the presentation team or a representative of an official’s office sent to take notes.
The results of the feasibility study are supposed to eventually be uploaded to the web, but in a nutshell, they presented two plans that would ease traffic on I93, neither presentation mentioned the flammable topic of highway expansion, one assumes that is a side issue.
The reopening of the Manchester to Lawrence Railroad line was first up as it is the more expensive, ambitious and impractical of the two proposals. This rail spur would now end well before Manchester NH, due to there being a big old airport lying across the line. Disappointingly the precise details of this plan were not described in depth, and the announced estimated cost of 197 million does not include any alterations to local municipal infrastructures, none of the practical railway expenses of acquiring additional trains or cars or staffing. These are 2008 dollars and by the time of construction these dollars they could easily swell to big dig proportions. Much of the landscape has changed in the 30 years since freight ran on that line. Simple things such as reinforcing neighboring buildings from vibration damage, restoration of underpasses such as 5-corners and Rt 213 will take millions more dollars and many years to complete. Not to mention that all commuter rails are subsidized with state funding, as costs are never completely covered by ticketed ridership.
The obvious demerits of the train expansion, were clear to everyone present as it was nearly ignored in the discussions that followed in favor of the more practical, economical and highly likely traffic easement plan: high speed express bus lane. Adding high speed buses that run down a dedicated lane on the shoulder of the highway would cost only 88 million to implement and would results in the exact same increase in ridership. And since augmentation to the infrastructure is minimal, this could be implemented in much less time than a complete reconstruction of a train system.
I made a recording of the presentation, and i will try to make it available. When the actual study is posted I will post it. I am not alarmed about a feasibility study showing that reactivation of a train line is possible, it doesn’t throw a spanner into our plans to make a recreational space of the property. Because something is feasible doesn’t make it likely, many things are possible with the application of enough money and enthusiasm. I don’t see much enthusiasm regarding a railline that won’t appear for 30 years. But I have been seeing a great deal of enthusiasm for a multi-modal shared use recreational path right down the middle of the city, networking into the entire region.
Tags: Methuen
For a few weeks I drove around town and inventoried bike racks in the city.
This is what I found:
Results of Bike Rack Census
There is not enough municipal or privately provided bicycle parking in Methuen to support the present level of cycling in the area. Proper parking for bicycles should be provided at all municipal facilities and encouraged through out the local business community.
With models starting at $300, bicycles are an expensive investment either for transportation or recreation. They should be locked securely to a stationary object in plain view. Many modern ‘road’ bikes do not have kickstands and must be leaned against a solid object when not in use.
Methuen Residents who wish to use their bicycle for in town errands are forced to chain their bicycle to the nearest suitable object, be it a tree, railing, or trash can. Allowing for obvious increases in alternate transportation and bicycle usage, cyclists may find themselves at odds with property owners, not to mention an increase in thefts.
View Larger Map
PUBLIC:
There are no bike racks at municipal buildings. The few public bike racks extant are those installed with newly constructed facilities such as Veterans Park or Riverwalk Park.
There is no bike parking at any of the schools or playgrounds, nor the skateboard park on Burnham Road, nor even the athletic facilities at the High School.
Nevins Library included a bike rack in its new renovations and the size chosen is quite adequate to present demand.
PRIVATE:
There are no bike racks at any of the department or grocery stores. Large retailers such as Walmart, Target and Home Depot which are easily accessible by public transportation have made no provision for cyclist parking.
The two serpentine style racks installed at the Loop, in front of Old Navy and K-B toy seem to be targeted toward non-adult riders. However, the Loop’s own policy discouraging youth congregation, causes these racks to go unused. Bike parking would be more practical installed in front of Stop and Shop and Loews Cinema and targeted towards the adult cyclist.
Several of other bike racks are improperly installed or in advanced states of disrepair, which discourages their use.
Available Bike Parking as of Sept 1, 2008
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305 Broadway
Cora Brand 4 bike Unit
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Milk st
Serpentine bike rack
Holds 9 bikes
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90 Pleasant Valley st
Serpentine Rack holds 7 bikes
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90 Pleasant Valley St # 102
serpentine holds 7 bikes
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51 Osgood St
incorrectly installed.
not accessible from one side,
not enough clearance for bikes between cars
may not be properly bolted to the ground
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126 Merrimack St
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129 Haverhill St
Unit predates existing facility
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Pelham St
Serpentine rack
holds 9 bikes
only accessible from one side.
insecure parking area,
impractical for bicycle parking.
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Riverwalk
Osgood st
Serpentine unit holds 7 bikes
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Park near Water Treatment Plant
old lowboy bike rack,
Crushed by a tractor during construction
too far from present activity area.
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Tags: bike racks, Methuen
The city, along with the Mass Historical Commission, US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service and nameless others have gone in to produce this nice little full color map-let. This 16 page booklet with attached map goes beyond the previous incarnation of the Methuen historical place map; instead of depicting one walk around downtown, it has TWO separate routes with a write up on what’s left of our historically interesting landscape.
This heavily illustrated item is worth picking up when you find it. It should be available at the library and town offices. I got mine at the planning office in city hall.
(click the images for a closer look)
Tags: maps, Methuen, walking
