Wheels turn on Stow's rail-trail piece

Citing mounting pressure from surrounding communities, Stow Selectman Stephen Dungan said momentum is building to refurbish a 3.2-mile stretch of former railroad bed in his town that would help complete a "missing link" along the Assabet River Rail Trail, a 12.5-mile scenic path from Marlborough to Acton.

Last week, selectmen formed a five-member committee to initiate a more ambitious effort to complete the town's portion of the recreation trail on the former rail bed, a plan which would piece together two sections of the trail on either side of the Stow stretch.

Though it hasn't been expressed openly to local Stow officials, Dungan said, town officials are feeling pressure to finish the trail, a project that has languished since the early 1990s.

Hudson's segment of the trail is complete, and design efforts are getting underway in Maynard and Acton to renovate those sections of the rail bed into a smooth hiking and biking trail.

Maynard and Acton officials are hosting a public forum on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Acton Town Hall to get feedback from residents about a proposed design for their section of the trail, which is expected to be built in 2010, said Carolyn Britt, a community development consultant for Maynard.

The new committee in Stow will help expedite the process and allow the town to meet upcoming deadlines for federal and state grants that are geared toward assisting towns in renovating rail trails, said Dungan.

"We're certainly feeling pressure from our peers to get it done," said Dungan. "We hope getting five people focused on it will help move it forward."

Paul Blazar, executive assistant for the town of Hudson, said residents and officials there empathize with the difficulties in refurbishing a rail trail, and are not frustrated with Stow officials. It took nearly 15 years to iron out all the details of the project in Hudson, including land acquisitions and other logistics, he said.

Nevertheless, there is an eagerness among folks in Hudson to see the Stow section finished, particularly since it is one of the more scenic areas along the abandoned rail bed, said Blazar.

"Anyone who uses the trail would love to have continuity," he said.

"It's a very beautiful section of the rail trail."

The stumbling block in Stow remains land acquisitions, and in particular, the purchase of an easement across land owned by Honey-Pot Hill Orchards, said Don Rising, a member of the new rail trail committee. The orchard owners have denied a request for an easement or a land sale, mainly out of concerns that the trail traffic would adversely affect business at the pick-your-own orchard.

"The major sticking point is Honey-Pot," said Rising.

But, even if the town is unable to secure that section, plans are brewing to circumvent the orchard by using nearby roads, said Rising. The road connection would lead through Stow and connect to a 2-mile stretch of property owned by Robert and Annette Albright, through which the town has acquired an easement using $135,000 in federal funds, said Rising.

Other plans have also been taking shape, as state officials have expressed interest in connecting the bike and walking trail to state-owned property in Stow known as the Delaney Wildlife Management Area, said Dungan. The property already is laced with several walking trails, and bikers and walkers could access it from White Pond Road, said Rising.

Allowing access to the property, however, would not solve the problems posed by Honey-Pot orchards, Rising said.

Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said agency officials have no comment on the situation in Stow.

"I think it's just too preliminary at this point," said Capone.

Whichever proposal for the rail trail eventually unfolds, there's a high probability that Stow taxpayers could be asked to kick in funding at some point, said Rising. Dungan said the hope is that grants will largely negate the need for a major tax measure, however.

"Because of the availability of significant grant money, there could be significant savings on tax dollars," said Dungan.

That proved to be the case in Hudson, where the cost for local taxpayers ran less than $100,000, said Blazar. In total, the 5.8-mile section of the rail trail renovation that runs through Hudson and Marlborough cost $6.5 million.

"It was a very minimal local investment," said Blazar.