Support the rail trail

WAKEFIELD DAILY ITEM
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2007

I am writing this letter as a citizen and as Chairman of the Wakefield Rail-To-Trail Committee. The Rail-To-Trail Committee is a group of 15 citizens with a diverse range of talents. Some are engineers, some attorneys, some bring their organizational skills and hard work ethic, but mostly we want to build a better future for our children. Right now, we're asking your support for a great asset in-the-making in Wakefield and Lynnfield.

Our committee has been meeting for almost three years and our progress has been significant. Working together with the Recreation Path Committee of Lynnfield, under the umbrella of a jointly-formed non-profit organization we support the conversion of the old railbed running through our towns into a linear park. We are finalizing an agreement with the MBTA gaining the rights to the abandoned railroad right-of-way. The selectmen of both towns have contracted Fay, Spofford and Thorndike to do a feasibility study and there is public support in both towns for the project.

The reasons for supporting the Wakefield/Lynnfield Rail-trail are numerous and include:

1. The trail would provide a safe route to several schools for children in both Wakefield and Lynnfield.
2. The trail would serve as a connection to public transportation.
3. Wakefield and Lynnfield would benefit from a safe, beautiful multi-modal path, which would peacefully go through the "hidden jewel" of Wakefield and Lynnfield, which is Reedy Meadow. (It is interesting to note that Reedy Meadow is twice the size of Lake Quannapowitt.)
4. Many environmental activists see the trail as a great asset, since the numerous culverts that are currently clogged and neglected will once again be properly maintained to provide some badly needed flood mitigation measures.
5. Wakefield and Lynnfield are only the beginning. The old railway continues all the way to the New Hampshire border for a total of 42 miles. Every town along the way has organized groups seeking to take advantage of this amazing untapped resource. Wakefield may only be the beginning of one of the longest and most beautiful railtrails in the Northeast.

What can you do?

I am writing this letter to let you know that we need your support. We have currently let our state legislators Mike Festa, Mark Falzone, Brad Jones and Richard Tisei know that we will need state assistance to complete the engineering necessary to design the trail that will run through Wakefield and Lynnfield. It is important to note that once the design work is done, there are several grant programs at the state and federal level that provide funding for the construction of such projects. We will not seek funds from our town governments for this project. If our legislators are successful in attaining the sought-after funds, we will be taking a crucial step toward the trail's development.

Please call and write to our state Legislators to show the support of the Wakefield- Lynnfield Railtrail, and if you have any questions or would like to attend the next public meeting, feel free to call me at 781-587-1443.

Thank you
Kevin Scott