Public Meeting On Norwottuck Rail Trail

The Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and MassHighway will be hosting a public forum on the future of the 11 mile Norwottuck Rail Trail at Hopkins Academy (131 Russell St.) in Hadley MA on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 @6:30pm. The meeting marks the start of the design phase for a $4 million trail rehabilitation project. Money for the project will come from federal funding secured by congressmen John Olver in a federal transportation bill and by MassHighway

Public comment is being solicited by DCR regarding such diverse issues as beaver and wetlands impacts, universal accessibility, bridges tunnels and parking lots, as well as signage. Vegetation management, including removal of the trees whose roots have an impact on the trail surface, will also be addressed. This last issue is likely to be the most controversial, given Hadley?s recent wrangling over tree removal in the towns? old cemetery,
The main issue to be addressed is a new asphalt surface for the trail, correcting the problem of recycled glass embedded in the old surface. This glass has plagued riders and punctured bike tires since the trail opened in 1993. Andrew Morris-Friedman, the Hadley representative on the Norwottuck Rail Trail Citizens Advisory Group, described the glass as, “A noble experiment in glass recycling that went horribly wrong. There?s no truth in the rumor that the new trail will have recycled thumb tacks instead.”

For more information about the meeting:
Andrew Morris-Friedman: [email protected] (413) 549-0060
Or Robert Kusner [email protected]

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