From: Bill Bartlett

To: FLVRT List Serve

Sent: 8/9/2007 4:38:31 PM

Subject: [Flvrt] Friends of the LVRT Needs You!

Our Mission: To support the development, maintenance, and promotion of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail as a public resource offering a tranquil and scenic year-round multi-use recreation and transportation corridor; and especially to represent the interests of non-motorized trail users.

The Friends of the LVRT is a not for profit organization created to represent the interests of non-motorized recreational users and the businesses they support in the development and management of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. At almost 100 miles in length, once developed, this will be the longest recreational Rail Trail in Vermont and one of the longest in New England.

When developed with the needs of non-motorized recreational users in mind, the LVRT will be an important recreational and economic development resource for the communities along and nearby the Trail that runs from St. Johnsbury to Swanton.

The Friends are committed to working to ensure that in the development of the LVRT there is a strong voice representing the interests of non-motorized users including: biking, walking, hiking, equestrian, bird watching, jogging, x-c skiing, snowshoeing, mushing, ect.

We need you to become and remain part of this organization to help us to continue accomplishing projects like these:
Held public meetings in Danville, Johnson & Sheldon in 2006 to obtain public input

Held public presentation on bike trail development in Hardwick, Jeffersonville and Swanton in 2007
Distributed two editions of our newsletter
Held monthly Board meetings in Morrisville since May 2006
Held an annual meeting with a guest speaker focused on rail trail impacts on the local economy
Obtained representation 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 accomplished these goals in the first year of its existence and will soon have a website all with a limited budget due to devoted volunteers. We hope to expand our accomplishments for the coming year and we’ll need your help!

Here are some ways you can help:

· Renew your membership

· Give a membership as a gift to a friend

· Make an additional contribution to support the on-going work of the Friends.

· Pass this information along to your friends.

Heidi Krantz, President

This reply is from Andy Rudin, JPA Member -

Heidi Krantz,

I own property within a 100 feet of this rail trail. As far as I can tell, nothing is going to happen to cover this trail with a walkable, bikable surface for years to come, never mind what it will then take to maintain it afterwards.

Years have gone by after the plans to create this rail trail began, and it still is not pleasant to walk or bike on. $5.8 million have already been allocated to this project. I wonder where the interest on that unspent money goes.

On the other hand, as soon as it snows, VAST members will be able to use the trail. But us biking-walking-non-snowmobile folks will wait and wait and wait.

VAST is powerful and could pressure politicians, but I don't think they have a vested interest to finish the trail as soon as I want them to.

Andy Rudin