We are hoping people will send a polite message to the Warner Selectboard between now and Sept 5th at 6:30 PM when the Selectboard will meet to decide to work with us on a $1.5 million dollar project to build a trail near I-89 Exit 9 and the businesses near there. Click here for the Call to Action You can select either the Warner Resident or Non-resident response. You can edit the text with your own thoughts or just click to send.
We look forward to seeing you at Market Days in Concord June 22, 23, 24 from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. This year our booth is at the corner of Pleasant St and S Main St, right in front of Pitchfork Records.
If you want to join us for a couple of hours sign up for a shift at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aeae22a4f5c61-clsrt1#/ Its so much fun describing all the projects and progress we have going on.
And we just extended the trail surface in Concord last week with more construction planned for this year in multiple towns.
The Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail were awarded $1.2 million as part of the Federal Appropriations bill that passed Congress at the end of December 2022. The money is to go toward a project involving 2 new bridges and getting from one side of I-89 to the other near Exit 9 in Warner. Thanks are owed to Representative Annie Kuster who put the request into the federal budget.
This project is significant because it aims to create a safe and beautiful way to get from the west side of the interstate to the east side where there are lots of businesses near the roundabout and lots more businesses and destinations in the village of Warner. This project will provide a way to be off of Route 103 using sections of trail and low speed, low traffic side roads to reach the village.
A couple of key points:
Persistence pays off! Both the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail and the Town of Hopkinton had applied to the NH Bureau of Trails for Recreational Trails Program funding for this project in previous years. In 2022 the Town applied again and this time received the grant. The partnership calls for the town to be supplying the in-kind labor and materials for this project while the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail is providing the cash match of approximately $4,500.
This project will create a safe traffic separated connection from Houston Fields to the new sidewalks along Kearsarge Ave so students at the middle and high school have an easier more direct way to reach the library and playing fields. It also creates a walking loop using Pine St, Kearsarge Ave, and Houston Fields.
The Town of Hopkinton received its official notice to proceed in the second half of June 2023. Construction is anticipated to begin mid October of 2023.
December 31, 2022 Update: Our full allocation of Tax Credits has been purchased! Thank you to all the NH businesses that supported us.
The Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail is fortunate to have been selected by the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority for a Tax Credit award of $200,000 to help construct a 1.25 mile section of trail in Concord.
These tax credits can be used by businesses to pay the New Hampshire Business Profits Tax, The New Hampshire Business Enterprise Tax or the New Hampshire Insurance Premiums Tax. If your business pays any of these taxes to the state of New Hampshire please contact Tim Blagden (tsblagden@clsrt.org) or George Hunton (ghunton@nhcdfa.org or 603-717-9116) at New Hampshire Community Finance Development Authority.
NH CDFA Tax Credits are a way to have more community impact with the very limited funds a business has to invest back into the community. A lot more impact. This is not just another way to make a donation to a worthy cause. They multiply the impact of your dollars and provide you with additional flexibility. They are simple to use. But they are for businesses only. Over 600 unique businesses have used NH CDFA Tax credits since 2016. Many come back again and again once they discover the impact they have.
Our project in Concord will complete the longest single section of trail we’ve built to date. Its a great section of trail taking users from Fisherville Rd (Rt 3 in Concord) to the RiverHill section of the city by the Contoocook River. Riverhill Market, Contoocook Kayak & Canoe, Murray Farms Greenhouse, Friends of Forgotten Children, the River Hill Grange and more are all near the west end of this project.
These businesses have already decided to help us with NH CDFA Tax Credits. We hope you will join them.
Thunderstorms are forecasted for the afternoon of July 28th so we made the decision this morning to postpone until August 11. Participants may run in Concord on Aug 11, or run in Bradford Aug 18, or run in Newbury Sept 15, or request a refund. We thank everyone for their understanding and flexibility. We hope to see you for a great event.
These railroad wheelset benches provide a very long lasting, comfortable, and striking way to show your appreciation to a loved one or to promote your business. We will work with you to find the optimal trailside location for your bench. A custom plaque will be attached.
Custom Bench cost: $1,995. Contact us at info@clsrt.org with any questions.
We are looking for volunteers to help greet people during Market Days in Concord June 23rd, 24th and 25th. This is a really fun time. Everyone loves the rail trail and wants to know where it is and what’s happening. We will give you all the answers. Click below to pick a time that works for you.
Looking ahead to July we have the Flat & Furious 5K Concord event on the 21st from 4:30 to 7:00. If you can help us with that please click below.
Support CLSRT TODAY through NH Gives – June 7th & 8th, 2022
An anonymous donor has offered to match up to four individual donations of $1,000 to Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail. The donor will provide $1000 match up for the first four $1000 donations made to CLSRT during NH Gives, up to $4000 total match.
NH Gives is 24 hours of focused giving sponsored by the NH Charitable Foundation. Donate to Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail through the NH Gives program between 5pm Tuesday, June 7th and 5pm Wednesday, June 8th, and your donation can go further with match prizes. Bonus matches are available if you are the first to donate at 5:00 PM on the 7th, at 6:03 AM on the 8th, and at 4:59 PM on the 8th.
Donate today so we can finish phase 2 of Concord this summer.
To optimize your donations to CLSRT, donate during matching times starting at 5pm Tuesday, June 8th. You can get all the details for the hourly matching rules and other prizes for NH non-profits at https://www.nhgives.org/prizes
The first 4 donations of $1,000 to CLSRT will be guaranteed a $1000 matching donation. A generous donor will do this up to 4 times during NH Gives. Please help us capture those potential funds.
See details and donate on the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail page at NH Gives.
Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail has partnered with Car Easy to make it simple to donate your old vehicle to help the rail trail.
• Vehicle Donation Web Page: https://careasy.org/nonprofit/friendsoftheconcordlakesunapeerailtrail
• Vehicle Donation Toll-Free Number: 855-500-7433 | 855-500-RIDE