Essex National Heritage Area
Tom Leonard, President, ENHC

Tom Leonard,
President Emeritus, ENHC

Tom Leonard writes a monthly column for the community newspapers in the Essex National Heritage Area. This is a reprint of this month's column.
tleonard
at essexheritage.org.

Columns
Essex Heritage Encourages Border to Boston Rail Trail Regional Planning

Late spring in New England is a wonderful time. It is the time of graduations, weddings and other traditional family events. It is the same for the Essex National Heritage Commission as during this time we hold a traditional social event and also announce the Partnership Grant Awards. For all of you who attended our Essentially Essex County-Farm Fresh event at the Smith Barn in Peabody we say thanks, and to the list of grant recipients also announced this month we say congratulations. The Farm Fresh event helped celebrate the importance of agriculture in Essex County, and the ENHC Partnership Grant program provided meaningful funding to dozens of wonderful projects. We also announced the second annual Thomas M. Leonard Partnership Grant for Youth Education to a wonderful group that has ties to the agriculture resources of the region, The Food Project - North Shore.

Border to Boston Rail Trail

The staff of the Essex National Heritage Commission, with support from the participating communities, the National Park Service’s Rivers and Trails Program, the Merrimac Valley Planning Commission, the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continues to take a leadership role in the work on this Rail Trail initiative. This regional project focuses on a non-motorized bike and pedestrian trail that, when completed, will meander through eight communities from Salisbury on the New Hampshire border through Newburyport, Newbury, Georgetown, Boxford, Topsfield, and Wenham to Danvers. This project has certainly taken some giant steps over the last couple of months. 

Since the inauguration of the Governor Deval Patrick/Lt. Governor Tim Murray administration in January, ENHC has brought the leadership team at the State House up to date on the Border to Boston Trail.  One of the key reasons for recent progress has been the creation of the B2B Task Force established by the Commonwealth’s Highway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky.  We believe that the task force was created in part because of the Administration’s recognition of the collaborative effort, and also because this kind of alternative transportation project resonates and makes so much sense to the leadership team on Beacon Hill.

Regional Meetings Continue

During the month of May, representative from the eight communities that have been meeting since January 2006, met in Topsfield to take action on a first draft of a consensus statement. Items reviewed included, intended trail users, proposed surfacing and width of the proposed trail. This “first draft” consensus statement will form the basis for MassHighway’s contracting for a preliminary design. The standards that were discussed at the meeting would only apply to sections of the trail that would receive federal funding through the State. The meeting in Topsfield was a wonderful example of community representatives working together and listening to each individual community’s needs. It was also agreed that this effort would be a long process that will require extraordinary patience and resolve. The successful completion of this project will be a special resource for the region, and the time committed to the planning process will prove to be worth the effort.

Conceptual Rail Trail “First Draft” Plan

It was generally accepted that the intended users of the trail would be walkers and slow speed recreational bicyclists and the trail would also accommodate baby carriages, strollers and wheel chairs. Joggers, birders, and other slow speed recreational users would be encouraged and in-line skaters and skate boarders would be able to use some portions of the trail. Equestrian use of the trail on parallel tracks where applicable was discussed. Motorized use will not be permitted at any time except for maintenance, emergency, or patrol purposes.

It was also agreed that the desirable standard width of the trail would be 10 feet and would accommodate two-way traffic. Shoulders of 2 to 5 feet would be provided when possible on both sides of the trail and where obstacles such as utility poles occur, the width should be maintained and the shoulders narrowed. Where narrowing occurs, safety features would be provided. It was also generally agreed the main trail should be paved unless there are extenuating reasons supported by individual communities. In designated wetlands and along wildlife habitat areas the trail may use a soft surface to meet local requirements. Where the trail crosses through downtowns or near historic sites surfacing treatments may be used to fit the historic or aesthetic characteristics of the area.