The Friends of the Northern Rail Trail announces the successful completion of their campaign to raise $110,000 to purchase the remaining abandoned PanAm rail corridor in Boscawen. Although it’s only 0.6 miles in length, it is the critical piece required to connect the current southern terminus of the 59-mile Northern Rail Trail, a 2021 finalist for the Rail Trail Hall of Fame, with the northern end of Concord’s proposed Merrimack River Greenway Trail.
We couldn’t have done it without the support of all the contributions provided by donors, big and small, who appreciate the existing trail, and what extending it will mean to walkers, runners, cyclists, and businesses in the Capital Region.
Special thanks to the businesses who got the fundraising off to a strong start: Grappone Automotive Group, which dedicates at least 5% of its net profit to charity, and includes Grappone Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, and Toyota; Northeast Delta Dental; the Lincoln Financial Foundation; Interchange Development LLC; Bindy; and Marshall’s Florist. Also providing significant support were contributions donated through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, including from the J.F. Swope Donor Advised Fund and the Friends of Bob Spiegelman, as well as from the You Have Our Trust Fund of Fidelity Charitable.
The work is not complete, nor is the fundraising, to turn the tracks into trail, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without the support of our community. Check out our progress on fnrt.org, and thanks again.
Lindy Heim, co-president
Friends of the Northern Rail Trail