==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
W.O.W. Lakes Region Trail
(That's Winnisquam, Opechee, Winnipesaukee for the rest of us!)
Future
location of Phase 1 of the W.O.W. Trail in Lakeport,
overlooking the Opechee Spa & Inn from Lakeport Square.
Trail will be on the water side of the tracks.
Organization name:
Laconia Trails with Rails Exploratory Committee
Introduction:
The proposed trail is over 9 miles long, stretching from the Belmont town line to the Meredith town line. We have just started building Phase 1 of our trail which connects Downtown Laconia to Lakeport (one of the 3 population centers in Laconia). Phase 1 has views along Lake Opechee. This portion of the trail is in a historically industrial and archaeologically interesting area. It has a tangle of utilities along the RR corridor and hazardous waste sites nearby and we have had to work through DES permits as well. It is the shortest section and has been the biggest challenge to build. If other trail groups have questions about DOT/DES permits, we can probably offer some insight.
We have been a 501(c)3 organization since 2004 and have been awarded two ISTEA grants for our phase 1 & 2 (about 2.5 miles of the 9 miles of trail).
Updates:
March
2010: The
NH Senate killed SB203/516 bill this week, according to Sen. Deb Reynolds. No
interim study will be accomplished. We have the option of starting over next
fall, but we will continue to work with the local legislators/executive council
for solutions in the mean time.
November 2009: The SB-203 Committee of Conference is meeting four times this month in an effort to resolve the issues. What seemed simple has become more and more complicated. The outcome of this study committee may well affect not just the WOW Trail but rail trails and other recreational and off-road transportation facilities around the state. Please check the legislation page for more details.
June
2009:
BWA-NH representative Diane Hanley reports that progress was made on Senate
Bill 203 which is designed to clear some liability issues concerning "rail
with trail." All key parties are in favor of the bill and it passed both
the House and the Senate but questions raised by trial lawyers caused the bill
to go into a Committee of Conference for further study. In particular, the desired
rail trails in the Lakes Region run along a lightly-used "active"
line used by the Hobo Scenic Railroad. Issues of safety, liability, fencing,
access, and wildlife crossings are all under consideration. Please
see our legislation page for more details about SB-203.
Project map:
Web site:
Contact person:
Diane Hanley
President, LTREC
603-524-7821 home
-- or office at:
Greater Laconia/Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce
393 South Main Street
Laconia, NH 0346
603-524-5531