Seasons Greetings from the Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Bill Bussey
billbus at gte.net
Mon Dec 25 16:46:41 EST 2006
Dear American Tobacco Trail Volunteer,
Season's Greetings from the Board of the Triangle Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy (TRTC)! This has been a very busy year for the Conservancy.
Your TRTC membership, gifts and contributions helped us to buy and
maintain tools for work days, purchase trail user counters, send out
mailings, maintain our trail work insurance, match grants, participate
in festivals, give away trail maps, buy and install signs, and much
more. We need your continued gifts and support because 2007 looks to be
just as busy.
With your help in 2006 we have been able to accomplish the following:
* *American Tobacco Trail Grows Again in Wake County *- A 1.2 mile
section north of the White Oak Church Road Access, and connecting
to the Chatham County line, officially opened in mid December.
Over 800 person/hours were worked by TRTC Volunteers clearing and
cleaning this section in advance of construction. This saved Wake
County more than $9,000 in contractor fees and resulted in a
better, more thorough job. As a result, trail users can now hike
or ride almost nine miles to the still-undecked Panther Creek trestle.
* *
* *New Trailhead in Southern Durham County *- With the help of a
state grant and over 1,500 volunteer hours over three years, TRTC
has largely completed a new trailhead parking area on Fayetteville
Road, south of Southpoint Mall. This will be donated to the City
of Durham in the spring of 2007 and will be an important access
point for the ATT south of I-40.
* *Successfully Obtained Wider Tree and Vegetative Buffers on ATT -
*Working with the Durham Planning Board, the Durham Open Space and
Trails Commission and Toll Brothers Homes, TRTC advocated and
negotiated wider buffers and additional trail connections on Toll
Brothers new Fayetteville Road Assemblage development in southern
Durham.**
* *
* *TRTC Advocates for Durham to Get Moving on Completing ATT - *This
summer, TRTC learned that progress on the final four miles of the
ATT and I-40 bridge in Durham was stalled. After pleas for a
meeting with city staff were ignored, TRTC offered an online and
print petition that asked for the project to move forward. Over
2,700 names signed the electronic and print petitions, which were
presented to the Durham City Council. As a result, TRTC volunteers
met with Durham staff, our efforts received favorable press, and
the ATT appears to be moving forward. **
* *
* *Progress on the ATT in Chatham County - *TRTC played a
significant role in getting Chatham County, NCDOT Division of
Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, (NCDOT Bike-Ped) and other
partners to start talking with each other, formalize funding,
start planning and designing this critical middle section of the
ATT. Design of the trail by Bike-Ped staff is nearing completion
with bidding and construction scheduled to begin in 2007.
* *
* *TRTC Made Sure All Voices were Heard -* When it was announced
that NCDOT Bike-Ped wanted to pave the entire trail in Chatham
County, TRTC made sure that *all* trail users and user groups had
a real voice in the preliminary design. As a result, consensus was
reached regarding a dual paved and compacted granite screenings
surface.
* *Continued Maintenance and Development of 7.5 miles of the ATT*-
Because of sustained TRTC volunteer work, leadership and
management, over 7.5 miles of ATT are *NOW OPEN* for walkers,
runners and bicyclists in southern Durham and Chatham counties.
Partnering with REI, Bronto Software, the National Charity League,
the Volunteer Center of Durham and others, TRTC organized and led
workdays almost every weekend of 2006 on the Durham and Chatham
sections, continued to clear fallen trees and debris from the
trail and installed new signage. TRTC also participated in
multi-jurisdictional management team meetings with Wake, Chatham
and Durham counties, Town of Cary, as well as the NCDOT
Bike-Pedestrian and Rail Divisions, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
* *Promotion of the ATT and Local Trails-** *TRTC gave away hundreds
of ATT maps, informational brochures and dispensed lots of
information about the ATT and area trails at eight festivals and
made presentations to six organizations.
Whew! It's been one of the most active years I can remember! Thanks to
your contributions of time, petition-signing, email and phone calls of
support, and money, we've been able to keep completion and development
of the ATT 'on track', as well as promote new rail-trails and greenways
in our area.
Believe it or not, next year could prove to be even more momentous (and
busy) for local rail-trails and the Conservancy*. Listed below are our
main goals for 2007:*
* *Completion of the ATT -* TRTC will continue to strongly advocate
for the completion of the trail in Durham, Chatham counties,
continued improvements of the ATT in Wake County and remain a
vital partner in the planning process.
* *Complete the Final Mile 500 feet in Chatham -** *TRTC will
continue to finish clearing, make safe, open and partner in
managing the final mile of the trail in Chatham County south to
the Wake County line. *We now have only 500 feet to go!* With the
newly opened Wake section, this will completely open almost nine
miles of continuous trail! Many of you have helped with this.
Thank You!
* *Start Construction of the ATT in Chatham -*TRTC will continue to
work with Chatham County, NCDOT Bike Ped and the Town of Cary to
provide any information and help to keep this project on schedule
to start construction in 2007 .
* *Transfer of the Fayetteville Road Trailhead -* TRTC plans to open
this trailhead parking area to the public and transfer it to city
management by the summer.
* *Finish and Publish the ATT map -* This detailed User map will
provide valuable information on the whole trail (and some
connecting greenways).
* *Continue Maintenance of the Trail -* We will continue to hold
volunteer workdays in Durham and Chatham counties to improve,
maintain and manage the trail so everyone can use it now, instead
of waiting for years until the municipalities do it.
* *Improve Trail facilities and Trail safety *- We will promote and
find funds for more bike racks, information kiosks, trail-use
counters, benches and trail connections. As with this year, we
will promote more police presence on the trail, dogs on leashes
and safe trail use amongst users.
* ** *Protect, Defend and Enhance the ATT -* TRTC will continue to
advocate for maintaining the integrity of the trail and corridor,
defend against any encroachment threats and work to enhance the
trail and user experience. We'll work with other individuals and
organizations who want to do the same.
* *Continue to Advocate for New Rail-Trails in the Triangle -* We
haven't given up on the Timberline or Durham Beltline Rail-Trails
and neither should you! We'll continue to work for other
rail-trail opportunities.
* *
As you can see, we've got quite a bit on our plate, so let's keep the
momentum going!
Less than one half of American Tobacco Trail would be open today if
weren't for the continued support of our members and volunteers. Thanks
to you, over 90 percent of the planned 22 miles of ATT are *NOW OPEN*!
Your gifts, volunteer labor and contributions have opened and maintained
significant portions of the trail for thousands to use now -- *years
ahead of when municipalities could do it *-- as well as cleared
trailheads, promoted the trail and also matched grants.
Your gifts, memberships, help and labor are needed now because we all
need to keep working to open the ATT as soon as possible. If you
haven't already renewed your annual membership, or sent in a gift,
please do so now. *Donations to TRTC
<http://triangletrails.org/MEMBERS.HTM>are tax-deductible to the extent
permitted by law.* You can fill out, print and mail the form below this
message; print and mail the form at our website
<http://triangletrails.org/MEMBERS.HTM>or use the PayPal link found on
our website <http://triangletrails.org/MEMBERS.HTM>
(*www.triangletrails.org <http://www.triangletrails.org/>*). If you are
interested in working on the trail, please check our website for the
Volunteering link <http://www.triangletrails.org/VOLUNTEERS.HTM> for a
schedule of workdays and to sign up for our email workday reminders.
Details about our monthly board meeting -- always open to members and
the public -- and more info than you could possibly want to know about
the American Tobacco Trail, are also available on the site
<http://triangletrails.org>.
If you are receiving this, you have already played an active part in
completing, maintaining and promoting the American Tobacco Trail, which
-- even before completion -- is recognized as one of the best shared-use
trails in the country! Please continue to support, use and demand for
completion of the ATT, connecting greenways and future rail-trails in
the Triangle.
Sincerely,
Bill Bussey
Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
PO Box 61091
Durham, NC 27715
919 545-9104
PS: Also, we need your help NOW in the completely free Food Lion MVP
Shop and Share program. We need at least 25 Food Lion MVP cards
registered in this program because this year 25 is the minimum number
needed to participate. Currently, we have only 7. You can help us get to
25!
In your MS Internet Explorer browser (sorry Firefox, Mozilla and
Netscape browser users!) go to:
https://www.foodlion.com/IntheCommunity/ShopAndShare/
Here you can go to the appropriate links to register your Food Lion MVP
cards so that the Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy gets some
proceeds from your Food Lion purchases when you use your MVP card. To
find the Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, click on "Register MVP
Cards." You go to a secure web page. Click "Select Organization." A
"Find Your Organization"window pops up. At the blocks, Select "NC",
"Durham", "Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy." That should bring us
up. Enter your MVP card as instructed. It doesn't cost you a thing! And
it really helps us out !
This has been useful in the past for us because we've gotten
approximately $30 or so from this. Hey, every bit helps! This year we'll
need to get 25 minimum in the program in order to receive any funds
disbursements. Right now we only have 7. So please register your Food
Lion MVP card and help build the ATT.
If you need help with this, contact Bill Bussey at 919 545-9104 with
your MVP #, and we'll get it in there.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Membership Form: Print, Fill out and Mail- - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Mail to: Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy PO Box 61091 Durham, NC
27715-1091*
Sustaining Membership - $50 Family Membership - $35 Individual
Membership - $25 Student - $10
Donations of any amount are gladly accepted and needed. Please indicate
specific project or use for your funds if you like.
Name:_____________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________
City/State/Zip:______________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________
Home Phone:________________________________________
Today's Date:________________________________________
Total $ Enclosed:_____________________________________
Comments:__________________________________________________
The Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a non-profit, tax exempt
organization as qualified under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS Code.
Contributions are deductable to the extent permitted by law.
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