Communities looking for quicker path to build trails - Boston.com
J Godsey
Communities looking for quicker path to build trails
March 29, 2012|By Jennifer Fenn Lefferts
Newton resident Jerry Reilly explored an unused rail bed that
eventually… (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
Nearly 15 years after planning started for a rail trail in Milford,
residents can finally jog, stroll, or bike along a path there.
However, the Acton section of the multitown Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
is still in the design phase more than 20 years after it was first
conceived.
In Dover, Medfield, Needham, and Newton, local officials and trail
enthusiasts are looking at a new approach to building the recreational
paths, one that could see trails done far more quickly and without
relying on limited state or federal dollars.
As the communities look to create trails along unused railroad beds,
many of them owned by the MBTA, all are exploring partnerships with
the nonprofit Iron Horse Preservation Society Inc. The Nevada-based
group pulls up the old track, sells the iron, and uses the proceeds to
pay for the work and a basic walking path.
“It’s really the most exciting development that’s come along in
decades,’’ said Needham resident Tom Connors, who has spearheaded
efforts for the proposed 7-mile Bay Colony Rail Trail connecting his
town with Dover and Medfield. “It’s a dramatically lower-cost option
compared to going the state and federal highway funding route.’’
Meanwhile, Newton is considering using Iron Horse to help create the
Upper Falls Greenway, a 1-mile trail running parallel to Needham
Street that advocates hope could eventually be linked to the Bay
Colony trail.
Groups traditionally seek state and federal grants for the design and
construction of the trails, but the process can take years and cost
millions of dollars. Connors said the price tag to build a single mile
of paved rail trail, using the state and federal route, is about $1
million. A gravel path from Iron Horse would be free, with communities
having the option to pay for an upgraded surface, he said.
David Watson, executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle
Coalition, said as the recreational paths are becoming more popular,
communities are looking for alternative construction options.
“When communities look at how long it takes to get trails built, and
the cost, they’re looking for faster, cheaper alternatives, and Iron
Horse is one of those,’’ Watson said.
He said Iron Horse’s approach may not be for everyone. One downside is
the rough surface, which he said isn’t ideal for rollerbladers,
bicyclists, and wheel-chair users,
“There are pluses and minuses with that approach,’’ Watson said. “I
can certainly see that it can create a viable trail faster than the
more traditional approach, but it doesn’t necessarily yield a trail
that’s optimal for all users.’’
Iron Horse, which was founded in 2005, has recently worked on several
projects in Massachusetts, including rail trails in Chicopee, Danvers,
Everett, Haverhill, Methuen, Rockland, Topsfield, and Wenham.
Officials in Danvers say they are pleased with the results, though the
process was not without challenges. Kate Day, a senior planner with
the town, said ties were not disposed of as quickly as they would have
liked, and there were equipment breakdowns.
But less than three years after forming a committee to develop plans
for the local trail, the path is packed with users, Day said.
“We would be nowhere without Iron Horse,’’ Day said. “It’s not fancy
but it’s proved to be an approach that’s been met with tremendous
satisfaction locally. You can’t wait decades for the federal money.’’
Jim Hattrup, president of Iron Horse, said he thinks communities
should be looking outside government for funding, and his group is one
way of doing that. He said it costs about $50,000 a mile to build a
basic trail, and it’s paid for by selling the scrap iron.
“It’s catching on because people are tired of what’s been the rule,’’
he said. “If you follow the Bruce Freeman model, which is writing
grants, it turns into a paper blizzard and then you can get a ‘no.’ I
believe that people should find the means to develop it with their own
local money.’’
But it’s an option that doesn’t work in communities like Milford,
where the track has already been pulled up.
Reno Deluzio, who started working on the Milford project as a town
planner, said the creation of rail trails is a time-consuming process
because of onerous state and federal guidelines, funding limitations,
and right-of-way negotiations. He said it took Milford four years to
negotiate an arrangement with National Grid.
In Holliston, the town has been dealing with CSX Corp., a national
freight railroad operation that owns the rail bed there, for more than
13 years.
“The major issue is property rights and permitting,’’ Deluzio said.
“Those are the kinds of things that really chew up the clock.’’
Officials in Dover, Medfield, Needham, and Newton have all sent
letters requesting to lease unused railroad right of way from the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA
spokesman, said the requests are being reviewed and a recommendation
will probably go to the agency’s board of directors in May or June.
There is no fee to lease the land. However, Pesaturo said, the T does
reserve the right to reclaim the land for a future transportation
project, or to lease it for additional revenue to utility companies.
While the four communities would be using the same rail line, they are
working independently on their sections. In Newton, the Upper Falls
Greenway would extend 1 mile from the vicinity of Easy Street south to
the bridge crossing the Charles River.
Supporters say the Newton trail would offer good connections to other
local walking paths, including the Charles River Pathway and loops to
Nahanton, Cutler, and Millennium parks.
Eventually, advocates hope to bridge the 3.5-mile gap between the
southern end of the Upper Falls Greenway and the start of the proposed
Bay Colony line in Needham.
The Upper Falls Greenway project has broad-based support in Newton,
from the mayor to business leaders and residents.
“I am pleased to partner with local businesses and residents on this
important initiative,’’ Mayor Setti Warren said in a statement. “The
Upper Falls Greenway will not only improve the quality of life for
residents across the city, but will be beneficial to the environment,
as it will encourage walking and bicycling.’’
Robert Rooney, Newton’s chief operating officer, said the city created
a small working group to focus on the project, which could be done
within a year. He said there are legal issues, such as the right of
way and insurance, that need to be resolved before the committee can
work on a design.
Rooney said the city is looking at the legality of bringing in a group
like Iron Horse to do the work, and has contacted Danvers officials
for a referral.
Jerry Reilly, a Newton resident involved in the project, thinks Iron
Horse would be ideal.
“The magic here is you can get a new park built for free,’’ Reilly
said. “The history of the big long ones is that they take many years
and are very expensive. Let’s get this done fast and cheap. Before
this idea came along, it would cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars.’’
Needham, Dover, and Medfield are also considering Iron Horse for the
Bay Colony project.
Dover residents will vote at Town Meeting in May on a proposal to
spend $5,000 to study building a 3.7-mile trail through town. Board of
Selectmen chairwoman Carol Lisbon said the Iron Horse approach will
likely be reviewed as the town looks at its options.
“The traditional process worked well when there were funds
available,’’ she said.