For good things to happen, it often takes a village . . . but weeding the mini-meadow pollinator garden on the Goss Logan hillside required a village with a mountain goat. . . or at least a sure-footed 13-year old. Too steep for elder gardeners to negotiate the slope, we had the good fortune of an able-bodied student who needed 2 1/2 hours of community service to complete her end-of-year commitment. Extensive weeding, laying down cardboard, and mulching with wood chips . . . Melanie did an excellent job, while her elders weeded, deadheaded, and transplanted below, all in preparation for the Grand Opening of the tunnel on July 8th!
Exciting news! We are pleased to announce that work on the Downtown Lebanon Tunnel Project is nearly complete and a grand opening event will be held on Thursday, July 8, 2021 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
This event will include live radio by “The River”, public art voting, sidewalk chalk, a scavenger hunt, and a bike rodeo that includes: bike checks by Omer & Bob’s, helmets giveaway, bike registrations, a bike safety obstacle course, and e-bike loan signups.
Pre-registration is not required for this event. Masks will not be required but are recommended for people who are not fully vaccinated.
We look forward to celebrating this exciting, new addition with you! If you have any questions about this event, please feel free to contact the Recreation, Arts, and Parks Department.
Additional Information
Are you wondering where the Downtown Tunnel is located? Please review the following aerial photo to see where the tunnel is located in relation to Colburn Park and the Lebanon Mall. The blue line indicates where the tunnel will run below the Lebanon Mall parking area and Hanover Street. To learn more about the Tunnel Project, please visit LebanonNH.gov/Tunnel.
The Lebanon, NH Arts and Culture Commission is looking for artists to design, fabricate, and install a public art installation and/or mural in the newly renovated Downtown Lebanon Pedestrian Tunnel. The Tunnel is located beneath Hanover Street and the Lebanon Mall, with entrances near Goss Logan Insurance (western entrance) and the Ledyard Charter School (eastern entrance). Artists are encouraged to select themes related to Lebanon’s history, geography, natural environment, and recreational activities. (Artists also may, but are not required to, use railroad spikes left over from the development of the Mascoma Greenway.) The tunnel is 350 feet long and the walls are generally 18 feet in height. Installations and murals can be on the walls within the tunnel, with the exception of the granite stones on the eastern end. Artwork should exist within the physical structure of the tunnel without necessarily taking up the whole tunnel. In order to submit an application artists MUST RSVP for the artist tour. Learn more and RSVP for the tour. And check out Rails to Trails info on public art for some background and inspiration.
The Mascoma River Greenway is a unique trail for the Upper Valley, and we want signage that celebrates that uniqueness. Hypertherm HOPE Foundation is already a financial donor to the MRG, and they stepped up their game by volunteering to cut these signs, using their patented Plasma cutting machinery, right here in Lebanon. These signs give a tip of the hat to the industrial history of the railroad corridor, while also giving thanks to the major donors that helped create our popular Greenway.
Sadly, some of these signs were vandalized the day after they were installed. Please, if you see something, say something. We appreciate the communities’ eyes and ears open for us.
The Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission (UVLSRPC) has finished compiling and analyzing the data for the Mascoma River Greenway. Survey results are hosted here at www.uvlsrpc.org/rail-trails. Many thanks to Colin Smith for his work on the dashboard. #railtotrail #MRG #railstotrails #railstotrailsconservancy #connectlebtowestleb
It was a pleasure meeting this friendly couple on the Greenway today. She was riding her new trike, a gift from her husband a few days ago. They are recent transplants from Alaska and are enjoying easy access to the MRG. Jogging, biking, triking, skateboarding, rollerblading, dog-walking, traveling on cross-country skis or snowshoes . . . many ways to enjoy the MRG!
The City will be performing sewer cleaning and lining on the Sewer Interceptor starting July 20th continuing until mid October. The work will cause minor traffic delays on Mechanic Street (between Carpet Mill and Maplefields) and Glen Road (from the underpass to Seminary Hill).
Work will also be taking place along the parts of the Mascoma River Greenway from Glen Road to behind Entertainment Cinemas. The Mascoma River Greenway will remain open but at times be narrowed to accommodate construction vehicles.
For additional information or questions please contact Erica Brittner at 603-442-6147 or brittner@Lebanonnh.gov.
The yellow dots define the land approved for purchase. It is on Mascoma Street, just west of APD and adjacent to the Slayton Hill underpass. (You can see a white car emerging from the underpass in this view.)
Wednesday night, the Lebanon City Council approved the purchase of land on Mascoma Street, adjacent to the MRG and the Slayton Hill underpass, to serve as additional access and parking space. We have been fortunate to have the current Mascoma Street parking lot donated by APD; given the popularity of the MRG, a need for additional parking is anticipated and this new parking area will have easy ADA accessibility.
Thayer School Students (Sebastian Strong, Isalys Quinones, Eleanor Dowd, Sarah Atac, and David Ruiz) made an excellent presentation of their study of options for completing the western end of the trail to WRJ. They posed 3 possibilities with the favored route using the rail track across the Stone Arch Bridge (Glen Road) and into the Westboro Rail Yard with access to WRJ across Bridge Street and the Connecticut River. This will take negotiation with the Department of Transportation and and rail company, which has not been successful to date. The students are willing to try to move this forward with the help of the City.
The Mascoma River Greenway 