curt's blog
Interesting Article on Solo Ride of the Katy Trail
Eve Capehart, a one-time Triangle resident and frequent visitor reports on her adventures riding Missouri's Katy Rail-Trail. Pictures and her account are contained in the Winter 2008 Little Toot.
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North Carolina Receives Stimulus Funding for High Speed Rail
On January 28th, North Carolina received $545 million to support incremental improvements in the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) After these upgrades, the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor, a nearly 500-mile route, will allow trains to travel between Charlotte and Washington, D.C. at top speeds of up to 90-110 miles per hour and an average speed of 86 mph. North Carolina's DOT conducted public hearings concerning this corridor in May 2009 and is continuing efforts to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for an even higher speed future corridor. The DOT is considering rail-with-trail segments as possible components of this future high speed corridor. In North Carolina, development of these rail-with-trail (RWT) segments will not be done by the State but will have to be undertaken by local governments and/or private groups. North Carolina Rail-Trails (NCRT) is supportive of RWT and stands ready to provide a variety of technical support and consultation to these local efforts. Please click HERE to see press releases and links to the SEHSR program.
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North Carolina Rail-Trails Seeks Executive Director
North Carolina Rail-Trails (NCRT), a private, non-profit 501 c 3 North Carolina corporation, seeks an Executive Director, who will be responsible for leadership, development and management of all NCRT programs and activities. The position will be the first staff position for NCRT, founded in 1989, which has until this time been an all-volunteer organization. The ideal candidate will be a service-oriented manager with successful experience in fundraising, advocacy, and board management and development.
The Executive Director reports to the NCRT Board of Directors and serves as the Executive Director of the organization as well as President of the Board (a voting Board member), discharging such duties as are delegated by the Board. The Executive Director is responsible for the management of the organization, ensuring that optimum results are received for existing programs and services, while developing new programs and funding opportunities. The Executive Director must feel comfortable working in a collaborative environment, with equal sensitivity to the needs of the NCRT Board of Directors, members, and volunteers. Core competencies include the ability to think strategically, manage time strategically, take initiative in developing action plans, and demonstrate strong writing and speaking capabilities.
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Update on Carolina Thread Trail Events
Update on Carolina Thread
Catawba County (Hickory, Newton, Conover, Sherrills Ford north of Charlotte) will hold three public forums during January to solicit input into The Thread Trail master plan for Catawba County, one of 15-counties in The Thread Trail footprint. Ribbon cutting and grand opening for Little Sugar Creek Greenway south of uptown will be in June, 2010. This is an urban section of The Thread Trail and a Mecklenburg County Greeenway. See Thread Trail Web Site for details.
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Update on Hendersonville-Brevard Area Trails
Ecusta Corridor Initiative: The Friends group promoting the Ecusta Trail (Hendersonville to Brevard) continues to meet. It has been incorporated as a NC non-profit corp. Federal 501(c)(3) tax deductible status may be sought soon. Norfolk-Southern RR still has not decided whether to file for abandonment. A major employer was recently looking at a site in Transylvania County which would require rail service. This possibility slowed rail banking considerations. However, it was just revealed that that employer decided to locate to another state. The Friends group has developed a petition to allow interested citizens to show their support for establishment of a rail-trail on this corridor.
Brevard Bike Path: A bridge and substantial length of boardwalk and a viaduct are being completed in the extension of the Brevard Bike Path into the Pisgah National Forest. Most of that extension will be on the rail bed of the lumber rail corridor built by the long dismantled Carr Lumber Company. The extended trail will connect to the Art Loeb Trail which in turn becomes part of the NC Mountains to the Sea Trail.
Gallimore Road Project: A bid was accepted in late '09 by the City of Brevard for the construction of the Gallimore Road project. That project is a wide multi-use trail connecting the high school, a boys and girls club and an elementary school. NCRT assisted in obtaining the NCDOT Safe Routes to School grant which provides much of the funding for the project. The bidding came in much lower than expected. It appears that the present economic slowdown is a good time to get construction projects done cheaply.
For inquiries on these please contact: Mike Domonkos
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California Rail-with-Trails: A Survey of Rail-with-Trails Along Active Rail Lines
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has just released a report presenting the results of a survey of 21 rail-with-trail projects in California. The report summarizes several questionnaires dealing with areas such as safety, liability issues, characteristics of adjacent railroads, design issues, trail funding and additional resources. Click here to download this PDF report.
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Renewal of Recreational Trails Program (RTP)
The SAFETEA-LU transportation legislation that authorizes the RTP expired September 30, 2009! This program has been provided support to many of North Carolina's rail-trails and would seriously impact future trail development should the program not be re-authorized. To find out more about the possible reauthorization of the RTP, go to the American Trails Site for the latest information. The trails community is watching closely for the next federal Transportation Authorization bill which will affect the funding for ALL the trail related programs funded through the Federal Highway Administration. The Rail to Trails Conservancy is supporting S. 575. For more information about this bill and what it does, follow this link to RTC's Page on S. 575
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Appeal Letter and Short Report of 2009 Activities
As the year draws to a close we wanted to let our members and other rail-trail supporters know that we have been quite active over the past year and see an even stronger program in 2010. We are making good progress towards hiring a part-time Executive Director (ED) for NCRT. Over the long-term we believe an ED will strengthen our outreach and support efforts and should lead to enhanced partnering around the State. Please take a look at this brief Summary of 2009 Activities and consider joining NCRT or renewing your membership.
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American Tobacco Trail Almost Finished-Update
Work in Chatham County, the final section of the ATT, is nearing completion. Work on both bridges fell behind schedule this Fall but is now done. Paving on the section north from O'Kelly Chapel Road to the Durham County line will begin during the week of November 9-14. {UPDATE 11-23: Weather delayed paving efforts until the November 16-21 period. Asphalt is now in place for most of this section. Some finishing efforts remain. With wet conditions and the holiday shortened week, it appears completion will slip into early December.} {Update 12-16: All paving done and screenings are in place. Minor tasks such as grass seeding on the edges, culvert clean-up, additional side fencing and re-installation of the kiosk at O'Kelly should be done by 12/22} The Chatham section is not officially open to the public but has received significant use for several weeks. Note the really high side rails as seen in this shot of users on the Northeast Creek bridge. A recent Cary News article provides more commentary.
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Cross Country Event at Franklinville
On Monday November 2nd, the Deep River Rail Trail was the venue for a local High School Cross Country race. Over 50 athletes competed and and were impressed with the granite screenings surface. Racers on the DRRT enjoyed good views as well as a forgiving surface.
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