We've posted messages from time to time regarding the rail-trail, but JPA member, Andy Rudin, has had an on-going communication with various people involved with the development of this trail that is literally in many of the back yards of cottages along the east shore of Joe's Pond. I thought this recent e-mail from Heidi Krantz, President of Freinds of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, helps define some of the problems and efforts to solve them.
Hello Mr. Rudin,
I recently received a copy of an email you sent in response to the receipt of our
most recent newsletter. I appreciate your comments and share your frustrations on
the slow progress of this project. I'd like to clarify a few items regarding the
Friends of the Lamoille Valley Rail trail, VAST and our relationship to VAST and
the trail.
The Friends is a separate private, not for profit organization created to
represent the interests of non-motorized users in the development, management and
use of the rail trail. We have no direct relationship with VAST - the organization
holding the legal lease to manage and develop the trail. They stepped up to take
on the task when no other organization did - we did not even exist at the time.
Although there has been very little physical change in the status of the trail a
great deal has happened over the last year and a half that enables this project to
move forward.
VAST and AOT (Agency of Transportation) signed a lease allowing VAST to manage the
trail. Issues re: atv use of the trail were addressed; the required committees for
management and oversight of the Trail have been created. VAST has hired a project
manager who has begun inventorying the status of the trail to begin planning for
improvements (please contact VAST directly for a list of their other accomplishments
re: the Trail).
In addition, as a separate organization, The Friends has, since its inception in
April of 2006, accomplished the following: Hosted 3 public meetings in Danville,
Johnson and Sheldon to obtain public input on atv issues; hosted 3 public
presentations on bike trail development in Hardwick, Jeffersonville and Swanton;
distributed two editions of our newsletter; held monthly Board meetings in
Morrisville;held an annual meeting with a guest speaker focused on rail trail
impacts on the local economy; obtained positions on both the VAST Trail management
committee and the Trail advisory committee and attended all meetings; developed
goals for our organization; developed a committee structure to assist in
implementing those goals.
The Friends, as a separate non-profit has to work with VAST and AOT to assist in
the development and management of the trail. Although we have our own mission and
vision, we do have to work within the constraints of the state bureaucracy and
VAST's ability to meet APT requirements and to move forward with the project.
It is a slow and onerous process and we are all anxious to see physical progress
so we can use the trail. As you can imagine, the complex relationships among the
various state, federal and private agencies make this a challenging project. We
continue to work on these relationships as it will take a coordinated, joint
effort to make a project of this magnitude come to fruition. I hope you'll get
the answers you seek re. the funding and management for which VAST is responsible.
I apologize if you did not receive our first newsletter - it came out last fall,
and was sent to all members - but we're a young, all volunteer organization and
we obviously missed you in the effort. I hope you'll give us all another chance,
and extend your patience awhile longer, as we continue to work out how this will
all come together. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me to talk through
this, or, better yet, come to one of our Board meetings - we meet the second
Thursday of every month at Hilary's Restaurant in Morrisville at 6:00 pm. I hope
to see you there.
Heidi Krantz. President, Friends of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, P.O. Box 995,
Morrisville, VT 05661 802-343-3108 - trg@pshift.com
Posts
