Windham Wows the Governor:
Ribbon-Cutting Points Out Trail System Potential
 
It's not every day the governor comes to town. But on September 16, 2006, a crowd of 350 welcomed Governor John Lynch to Windham, N.H., for the opening of 4.1 paved miles of the Windham Rail Trail. The Windham Middle School band played as dignitaries assembled and Governor Lynch acknowledged the hard work put into the project.

"You all deserve a lot of credit," he said. "I'm hopeful this will be the start of a trail that goes all the way up to Concord." After cutting the ribbon, he joined in a short bike ride on the trail, while a Dixieland band entertained onlookers.

The Windham Rail Trail is certainly a path worth celebrating. Shaded by white pines and hemlocks, the trail offers a varied landscape, with cuts through New Hampshire's famous granite and fills that raise the bed above the surrounding countryside. The rural trail also passes Mitchell Pond, where bird and aquatic life abound.

The asphalt trail permits bicycling, walking, skateboarding and in-line skating, as well as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter. A softer, five-foot stone dust shoulder accommodates joggers and equestrians. Motorized use is permitted only when the trail is snow-covered.

Citing businesses like a new sandwich shop/country store 100 yards off the trail, Mark Samsel, Windham Rail Trail Alliance president, says the "transformation of this neighborhood is tremendous," with more families and seniors using the trail than before.

As the governor indicated, this kind of transformation didn't occur without hard-working trail proponents. In New Hampshire, where the state has purchased more than 300 miles of trail on 23 inactive railroad corridors, it's up to local municipalities and trail organizations to improve and manage the trails.

In Windham, a dedicated group of volunteers formed the Windham Rail Trail Alliance in January 2004 and raised approximately $425,000 to pay for materials and labor. They also secured a generous donation of engineering services. Just as important, the trail organization negotiated the mutual agreement authorizing trail development between the departments of Transportation, and Resources and Economic Development, and the town of Windham.

But this is more than a local story. According to a feasibility study, the Windham Rail Trail and short paved segments in Manchester and Derry are pieces of what could become a much longer asphalt trail. It would stretch 23.6 miles from Salem in the south to Concord, the state capital, on the inactive Manchester & Lawrence railroad corridor.  "We see our trail as a model and catalyst for what may be called the Granite State Rail Trail," Samsel says.

Meanwhile, in Windham there's more in the works. The Windham Rail Trail Alliance has received a federal Transportation Enhancement grant toward restoring an old depot, they have a caboose to restore and place beside the trail, and the Windham Garden Club has awarded a grant to plant wildflowers. "So far we've done this without major sponsorship," Samsel concludes. "Now we're looking for someone to partner with us."