Squannacook River Rail Trail status page

Squannaccok Greenways, Inc. is incorporated

Pan Am Railways planning to abandon the entire Greenville spur

Townsend and Groton present findings to BOS - suggest non-profit building stone dust trail

Feb 1, 2011 : The Townsend and Groton rail trail committees each presented the results of their joint interim report to their respective Boards of Selectmen. This report discussed a new idea for building the Squannacook River Rail Trail. The idea is closely based on the example of Wachusett Greenways, a non-profit group that built the stonedust Mass Central Rail Trail. The committees recommended that a non-profit that is presently forming build and maintain the rail trail, freeing the towns from any fiscal responsibility or liability. This new non-profit is planned to be called Squannacook Greenways.

The report also pointed out that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) would play a key role in making this possible. Right now the MBTA owns the rail bed, and is offering a lease for one dollar for the town or state agency that would accept environmental liability. This liability worried both towns of Townsend and Groton. Right now, Squannacook Greenways is discussing the possibility that DCR would sign that lease, but then allow Squannacook Greenways to build and maintain the trail. This public/private partnership would leverage the resources of DCR to allow Squannacook Greenways to build the trail without burdening DCR with any direct costs.

In the meeting with the Townsend Board of Selectmen on Feb. 1, 2011, two routing options were also discussed. As detailed in the engineering study, the rail trail could either follow the existing rail bed in the Townsend Harbor area behind the Reed Homestead, or could go along a sidewalk to be built between the Shepherds' business and the Harbor Church parking lot. For reasons detailed in the joint interim report, the committee unanimously recommended the sidewalk route. Andy Sheehan noted that the state had offered to build a sidewalk along Route 119 if the town paid for the design, and that the town had already allocated $100,000 for that design. That $100,000 was originally intended to design a sidewalk from North Middlesex Regional High School to Townsend center, but that amount was found to be far too little, and so had not been spent. The Townsend Selectmen indicated support for pursuing the possibility of using that design money for this small section of sidewalk.

Groton and Townsend committees meet with Iron Horse Preservation Society

Committee members tour rail trail built by Wachusett Greenways

Apr 28, 2010 : Members of the Townsend and Groton rail trail committees took a tour of the Mass Central Rail Trail build by Wachusett Greenways with founding member Ed Yaglou. This section of the Mass Central Rail Trail is a stone dust trail built by a volunteer group with grants, but without federal highway funding. The committee are considering a similar approach for the Squannacook River Rail Trail. Construction and maintenance issues were discussed. See pictures of the tour.

Groton and Townsend submit joint rail trail Project Need Form to MassHighway

Sep 2 , 2009 : The towns of Groton and Townsend submitted a joint Project Need Form to MassHighway for the Squannacook River Rail Trail. This Project Need Form will trigger a formal study of the project by MassHighway, and will help the Groton and Townsend town committees further research the financial feasibility of the rail trail. Submission of this document was approved by the Board of Selectmen in both towns.

Townsend Board of Selectmen support submission of Project Need Form

June 16, 2009 : The Townsend Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to support a joint submission with Groton of a Project Need Form for the Squannacook River Rail Trail. This Project Need Form is submitted to MassHighway, and indicates official interest in a project. Submission of this form will allow MassHighway and the Montachusetts Regional Planning Commission to analyze this project in greater detail, but does not commit the town to building the trail. This analysis will aid our committee in further investigating potential funding sources for the construction of this trail.

Members of Townsend rail trail funding committee chosen

Nov. 10, 2008 : The Townsend Board of Selectmen have appointed the following members to the Squannacook River Rail Trail Funding Exploration Committee:

• Hirk Fortin
• Ken Gerken
• Bill Martin
• Steve Meehan
• Bill Rideout

At their first meeting on Nov. 10, 2008, Hirk Fortin was elected chairman, and Bill Rideout was elected secretary. The next meeting will be Nov. 20, 2008 at 7 pm in Memorial Hall in Townsend, and will be a joint meeting with the Groton rail trail committee.

Congresswoman Tsongas walks the proposed Squannacook River Rail Trail

Townsend Board of Selectmen forming ad-hoc committee to study rail trail funding issues

Sep 23, 2008: The Townsend Board of Selectmen voted to form an ad-hoc committee to study funding issues involving the proposed Squannacook River Rail Trail. The Groton Board of Selectmen have also refocused Groton's rail trail committee to study financing issues. Of central interest to both committees will be whether 100% funding is possible though federal and state funding. The Townsend committee will have five members, and the Townsend Board of Selectmen decided to wait ten days before selecting committee members.

MBTA replaces culvert behind Harbor Village; restricts access to rail bed

Aug 20, 2008: The MBTA replaced a failing culvert behind Harbor Village in Townsend. Flooding due to this culvert problem had affected a number of residents in the area. As part of the project, the MBTA put up the pictured No Trespassing sign and blocked through access on the rail bed. This reinforces the point that the only way to ensure public access to this corridor is to convert it to a rail trail.

FST releases final assessment report on the Squannacook River Rail Trail

Aug. 13, 2008: FST released the final version of its environmental and engineering assessment (20 MB PDF). Since 2002 the SRRT Committee has remained committed to an exploration of the feasibility of a rails-to-trails conversion in Townsend.  We completed our own study in 2006 and came to an initial conclusion that this was a viable project.  The results of this professional study, performed by recreational trail experts Fay, Spofford and Thorndike (FST) confirm the conclusion that this project is feasible.

Over 150 people attend FST public meeting

June 12, 2008: Over 150 people attended the FST public meeting on June 12, 2008 at North Middlesex Regional High School in Townsend. A video of FST's presentation is available here.

FST releases draft assessment of Squannacook River Rail Trail in preparation for June 12th meeting

June 5, 2008: In preparation for the public meeting to be held Thursday June 12, 2008 at 7 pm at the NMRHS, the engineering firm Fay, Spofford & Thorndike (FST) released a draft environmental and engineering assessment (13 MB PDF). They also made available a detailed series of maps in a separate appendix (4 MB PDF). Document not yet included in draft report are the Townsend Conservation Commission comments and Townsend Historical Society comments.

Everyone from Townsend and Groton interested in learning about this project is invited to attend. There will be a question and comment period following FST's presentation.

MBTA to rebuild culvert causing flooding near Groton/Townsend line

May 13, 2008: The MBTA will soon begin a project to rebuild a failing culvert located behind the Harbor Village Shopping Center. This culvert has caused flooding in the past few years in the area of the Groton/Townsend line. The rail bed is still passable, with red plastic fencing marking the future work area. The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee helped to facilitate a meeting between Townsend and MBTA officials to kick this project off.

Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee wins $1000 NEGEF grant

April 24, 2008 : The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee has been awarded a grant of $1,000 from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund (NEGEF). The funds from this grant will be used to pay for an informational mailing to Townsend households about the upcoming public meeting to be held by Fay Spofford & Thorndike (FST).

FST is the firm preparing a preliminary environmental and engineering study on the proposed Squannacook River Rail Trail. This study is addressing many issues relevant to this rail trail, including potential environmental and business impact, parking and road crossings, safety, and abutter concerns. These public meetings will be held in both Townsend and Groton in the late spring or early summer. At these meetings FST will be presenting their findings to date, gathering public feedback, and discussing possible next steps. The grant from NEGEF will ensure greater public participation in this process.

This grant is the second the Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee has received in as many years. It follows last year’s award of $20,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to help pay for the preliminary environmental and engineering study. Additionally, the Nashua River Watershed Association has received support from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation to enable its work on this project.

Preliminary environmental and engineering study by Fay Spofford & Thorndike well underway

Townsend and Groton both choose Fay Spofford & Thorndike for the upcoming preliminary environmental and engineering study

Nov. 29, 2007: The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee and the Town of Groton both selected Fay, Spofford & Thorndike to undertake a preliminary environmental and engineering study of the Squannacook River Rail Trail.

The Town of Groton and the Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee recently sent out separate but coordinated requests for proposals for each town's portion of the study. After carefully reviewing the various proposals, both groups selected the engineering firm of Fay, Spofford & Thorndike.  They are one of the leaders in this field, and designed both the Nashua River Rail Trail and the Nashua Heritage Rail Trail in Nashua.  They have also recently completed similar rail trail studies in the towns of Acton, Concord, Sudbury, Wakefield, Lynnfield, and Georgetown.

An important part of the study will be public meetings led by Fay, Spofford & Thorndike to discuss their findings.  These meetings will be held in 2008 in both Townsend and Groton, and everyone interested in this proposed rail trail is encouraged to attend. 

Groton establishes official committee to study the potential Squannacook River Rail Trail

Nov. 13, 2007: The Groton Board of Selectmen established an official town committee to plan and implement the establishment of the Groton section of the Squannacook River Rail Trail. More information is available at their website.

Groton town meeting unanimously approves funding for preliminary environmental and engineering study

Oct. 29, 2007: Groton voters at the fall special town meeting unanimously approved an expenditure of $10,000 for a preliminary environmental and engineering study of the proposed Squannacook River Rail Trail in Groton. These funds were appropriated from the Community Preservation Fiscal Year 2008 budget reserve. Funding for this study has now been secured for both the Townsend and Groton sections of this proposed rail trail.

Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee wins $20,000 grant from DCR to pay for preliminary engineering study in Townsend.

Oct 18, 2007: The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $20,000 from the Recreational Trails Grants Program of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The funds from the DCR grant will be used to pay for Townsend's portion of the project’s next step: a preliminary environmental and engineering study by a professional engineering firm.

This professional environmental and engineering study will address many issues, including potential environmental impact, parking and road crossings, safety, business impact, and abutter concerns. Images of a number of these issues can be seen on our photo gallery page.

The Town of Groton is planning a similar preliminary environmental and engineering study for the proposed 0.9 miles of the Squannacook River Rail Trail in Groton.  Funding for the Groton portion of this study will be on the agenda at the Groton Special Town Meeting on Oct. 22, 2007.

An important part of the process will be public meetings led by the engineering firms to discuss their findings.  These meetings will be held in 2008 in both Townsend and Groton, and everyone interested in this proposed rail trail is encouraged to attend. Stay tuned to this site for the dates!

The Townsend and Groton versions of the Request for Proposals for this study were sent out in September 2007, and are available on our Documents page. An electronic version of the engineering report will be available here also when it is complete.

Members of the Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee attend Moving Together conference in Boston

SRRT Committee/Town of Groton send out Requests for Quotations for upcoming preliminary engineering study.

Sep. 6, 2007:  Today, the Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee and the Town of Groton concurrently released companion Requests for Quotations for the upcoming rail trail preliminary engineering study.   This preliminary environmental and engineering study of the proposed Squannacook River Rail Trail will serve two important purposes: 1) to address certain issues important to the Townsend's and Groton's decision as to whether to approve this project or not, and 2) to satisfy Mass Highway of project feasibility before the earmarked federal funds can be released.  See our photo gallery for images of the various issues along the proposed rail trail the study will cover. The documents page contains pdf versions of the Townsend and Groton Requests for Quotations.

This Request for Quotation is contingent upon funding. The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee will be covering the cost of the study in Townsend, and we are very optimistic about receiving a grant in the near future to cover the cost.  The town of Groton will be putting a request for funding before the town at the fall 2007 town meeting. Responses to both the Townsend and Groton RFQs are due on October 15, 2007

The Squannacook River Rail Trail now planned for both Townsend and Groton

July 1, 2007:  The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee has expanded its plans for the rail trail to include a 0.9 mile section in Groton.  The trail is now planned to run from Depot Street in the center of Townsend to the Bertozzi Wildlife Management Area on Townsend Road in Groton, for a total of 3.7 miles.  See the map for details.

Trail walk with Mass Highway

May 24, 2007: On Thursday, May 24th, members of the Squannacook River Rail Trail committee walked the proposed rail trail with Arthur Frost and Sarah Bradbury from MassHighway.   During our trail walk, Arthur and Sarah made the comment that our trail had the fewest engineering challenges of any they had recently walked.   The only area they saw as challenging was the South Road crossing area, but their overall assessment was that our trail was remarkably free of serious problems.  See the photo gallery for images of some of the issues to be studied during the upcoming preliminary engineering study.

Trestle in Townsend center damaged by storm and blocked off by MBTA

May 20, 2007: The recent storm caused significant flooding in Townsend, leading to erosion-related damage to the trestle bridge in the center of Townsend.  The MBTA responded to this potential liability by putting up the unattractive fence shown in this picture, with a sign that reads, WARNING - DANGER - NO TRESPASSING.

Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee at Townsend's Earth Day

April 28, 2007: The Squannacook River Rail Trail Committee had a very well-attended booth at Townsend's Earth Day.  For more pictures, click here.

Investigation of environmental liability continuing

Jan. 8, 2007: The issue of environmental liability for a town signing the MBTA lease in order to build a rail trail remains under active investigation.  This has been an issue both in Townsend and state-wide in the past year.  An in-depth review can be found here.  Our committee feels that the environmental liability issue is one that needs to be taken seriously; however,  we believe it is one for which we will eventually find a satisfactory solution.

Townsend Board of Selectmen request draft lease from MBTA

Jun. 9, 2006:  The Townsend Board of Selectmen decide to request a copy of the draft rail bed lease from the MBTA.  This is a non-binding step toward signing the lease, but it does officially notify the MBTA that the town is considering a rails-to-trails conversion.

Townsend votes 1021-259 to support pursuing the rail trail

May 10, 2006: Townsend voters overwhelmingly endorsed a proposal supporting the Squannacook River Rail Trail.  A referendum asking voters if they want the town to pursue the project passed by 1,021-to-259 margin, as nearly 80 percent of voters approved the idea. This vote was non-binding, and the final vote to decide whether to commit to this project will come only after a preliminary engineering study is complete.

Earmarked funds for rail trails, including the Squannacook River Rail Trail, in latest federal highway bill

Jun. 29, 2005: - Congressman John W. Olver announced that the latest federal highway bill contained 4 million dollar for four rail trails in his district, including the Squannacook River Rail Trail.