The first of six benches purchased for the Mascoma River Greenway has been installed near the path leading down from the Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital campus. The bench is dedicated to the memory of Leo C. McKenna whose wife, Christine, is an enthusiastic supporter and user of the MRG. Watch for other benches to appear along the trail as soon as weather permits their installation by the Lebanon Recreation and Parks Department.
Calling all volunteers!
Are you a runner, walker, skateboarder, foliage admirer, cyclist, or generally interested in helping keep Lebanon’s greenway corridor beautiful and safe and potentially extending it to White River Junction?
A team of Dartmouth engineering students is helping the City explore options for extending the Mascoma River Greenway (MRG) corridor in Lebanon to White River Junction. Let’s help bridge the ped and bike gap between New Hampshire and Vermont!
Join us on Saturday, November 3rd from 10am to 2pm for a few hours (or whatever you can attend for) to do the clean-up and give your feedback about the greenway extension. Dartmouth engineering students, City of Lebanon staff, and friends of the MRG and Northern Rail Trail will be in attendance. Doughnuts and coffee will be provided!
Location: Meet up at the Mascoma Street “MRG Parking Lot” across from Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Alice Peck Day Drive, Lebanon, NH.
Tips: Wear gear and shoes appropriate to the weather and tasks. Bring rakes and vegetation cutters, if you have any. Other equipment will be provided.
This event is sponsored by Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Northern Rail Trail, Mascoma River Greenway, and the City of Lebanon. For more information, please call the Lebanon Planning and Development office at 603-448-1457 x1473.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Five students from the Dartmouth Thayer School of Engineering are working on a six-month project with Friends of the Northern Rail Trail to model the final extension of the Mascoma River Greenway. Their final product will include a feasibility and safety report as well as a detailed map of the final MRG trail alignment from Glen Road to White River Junction. The group will present their project at the November 13th Lebanon Ped and Bike Advisory Committee meeting and welcome all interested community members
Posted in Events, Good News!, Next Steps
Downtown Tunnel and Pocket Park ( Hanover Street Bridge Overhead)
By this time next year, the currently closed-off downtown tunnel should be reconstructed with connection made between the MRG and the Northern Rail Trail. Read the Valley News report on the Lebanon City Council decision.
Wonderful to have the youthful energy of the UV Rugby Club applied to the MRG pocket park today. They planted, composted and mulched, sowed grass seed, and applied more wood chips under the picnic tables. They put the finishing touches on the park. A big thank you goes out to this good-humored and energetic group. Thanks also to Cindy Heath who designed and spearheaded this pocket park landscaping project! It is accomplished and it looks great!
Update: The U.V. Rugby Club has voted unanimously to adopt the pocket park. They will help provide maintenance, including frequent watering of the new shrubs and trees. Thank you U.V. Rugby Club!
Former Lebanon Recreation and Park Director, Cindy Heath, has been the main mover on the enhanced landscaping of the MRG pocket park by the tunnel in downtown Lebanon. She and a team from Upper Valley Rugby Club did great work in the park Wednesday evening.
Here’s Cindy’s report on this energetic team of volunteers:
This is work that needs a strong back and stamina, and the club members were definitely up for the task. It’s amazing how much was accomplished in just two hours by this community service minded group!
Posted in Events, Good News!, Next Steps, Progress!, Thank you!, Work Day
They came, listened to a bit of history and the Mayor’s proclamation (honoring MRG Co-Chairs Paul Coats and Frank Gould) . . . and then headed to the MRG and strolled, biked, roller bladed, scooted, ate ice cream, listened to music, viewed the newly installed sculptures, and scattered wildflower seeds along the trail. The day was perfect and the spirit was joyful!
Omer & Bob’s did bike safety checks and fixed minor problems.
A good-humored Lebanon Police Officer, Lt. Matt Isham, delivered ice cream treats along the trail.
Lebanon’s Rollerblade had a van-load of rollerblades for folks to test drive.
So many families with young bike riders, scooters, strollers, some with dogs . . . and a host of others enjoying this beautiful day. Thanks goes to APD for hosting this event and for their donation of a permanent parking area for the MRG. Thanks also to Omer and Bob’s for the bike safety station, to Rollerblade for the test drives of their rollerblades, and to the pop-up musicians who addded grace notes to our day. We greatly appreciate the organizing efforts of MRG Campaign Committee Chair Rainie Kelly and APD’s Kelly Pippin for this event. And we would not have been here but for the hundreds of volunteers and generous donors who have made the MRG a reality!
Posted in Events, Good News!, Thank you!
Where? On the lawn of the Homestead at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital on Mascoma Street in Lebanon. Parking at the APD lot on Mascoma Street.
At 99% of Campaign Goal!
