==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Derry Rail Trail Alliance
. 
Derry Rail Trail planned, downtown to Windham Rail Trail
Introduction:
The Derry Rail Trail Alliance was formed to see the Derry section of the old Manchester and Lawrence Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad turned into a recreational trail for cyclists and pedestrians.
Some of this trail has already been paved as part of the Derry Bike Path. Our first goal is to see this path extended all the way to Windham to connect to the Windham Rail Trail.
DRTA is to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations will be tax-deductible
to the full extend allowed by law.
Project updates:
October 4, 2008: Fundraising efforts continue with a "fun raising" wine tasting party at the home of Dr. John Daley. Of the $350K needed to start construction, approximately $285K has been raised or pledged via grants once the "magic number" is reached.
April 24, 2008: The DRTA Board is actively seeking funding from companies, private individuals, grants, and any other source to raise the required money to build the paved trail this summer. The option to make donations via their web site using a PayPal account helps eliminate paperwork. Actual construction of the trail will be managed by the Town of Derry while DRTA will assist with the maintenance and publicity once the trail has been completed.
March 4, 2008: After many long meetings, delays, publicity, and hard work by the DRTA, the Derry Town Council approved $225,000 for the rail trail project. The remaining $150,000 must be raised privately via the DRTA before the town releases their share. About $75,000 has already been donated for the engineering work which has been completed. With the town committing $225,000, donations from private citizens and businesses will be easier since the project is approved. See the full write-up from the Manchester Union Leader dated March 5, 2008.
February 19, 2008: The public hearing scheduled for January 29 was postponed until February 19. The 7:30 PM meeting was extended until 11:05 PM with the Derry Rail Trail topic not started until 10:50 PM. Some negative comments from the public were heard, all based on the financial impact to the town. Unfortunately, there was no time for a rebuttal to inform the public that the requested funds have no impact on taxes. Plans are now underway to continue the public hearing with a chance for DRTA to address the concerns on March 4.
December 4, 2007: The council voted unanimously to accept the engineering donation and we have a date for the public hearing, January 29th!
We should have the engineering done within the month and from that we will be able to pull together the last details of the plan.
We are going to have to go out and knock on some doors for private funding to bring at least an estimate of how much private funding we can raise to offset the cost of the project. We will also be looking at options to our plan based on the cost estimates we get so we can get this project built on our schedule.
We are shooting for opening June 2008. I think this goal is reasonable and attainable. We may have to build in some follow-on work if money is tight but we're going to shoot for the whole thing and see where we end up.
I am so proud of this group and how much we have accomplished in such a short amount of time. Your enthusiasm has certainly helped make this project move and that is huge.
Thanks and congratulations,
-Erich
Web site:
http://www.derryrailtrail.org/
Contact person:
Erich Whitney
DRTA President
5 Wilson Ave.
Derry, NH 03038
603-537-1120
