Greetings,

The North Andover Rail-Trail Committee and the North Andover Community Development Division welcome you to attend a public meeting on the proposed North Andover Rail-Trail. This will be held on Thursday, March 30, 2000, from 7:00-9:00pm, at Stevens Memorial Library in the Meeting Room.

In 1993, the Town of North Andover conducted a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a public, multi-use "greenway trail" along a 7-mile stretch of the former B&M Railroad right-of-way extending from Sutton Street (near Main Street) to the Middleton Town Line. In providing alternate, non-motorized modes of transportation, the rail-trail will offer families, seniors, students, hikers, bicyclists, joggers, skaters, cross-country skiers, and others a wide range of recreational opportunities, while at the same time preserving important open space, scenic vistas and wildlife habitat.

In 1998, the North Andover Bicycle Advocacy Committee was formed. At a public meeting held in November 1998, the committee met with 36 interested Town Residents to discuss the Rail-Trail. The discussion at that meeting provided insights for a scope of work for a feasibility study. To begin this analysis the engineering firm, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) began preliminary work on the project, funded by a $30K grant from the state. VHB is a large firm who has done a lot of major transportation, land development and environmental projects. They have done over 40 Rail-Trail projects with 13 located in Massachusetts. Many of these have now been completed and it is their experience in this area that was a key factor in their selection. The scope of work for VHB is described in the attached documents

The proposed Rail-Trail has been partitioned into several segments, and we would like to identify volunteer Neighborhood Representatives to reflect their neighbor's interests and concerns on each segment. We would like to identify these Neighborhood Representatives at the March 30 meeting. Complete details are included in the attached brochures. Included with this letter, please find the following:

"North Andover Rail Trail Feasibility" A 4-page brochure identifying our current activities, including a project plan with meeting dates on the last page.

"The Essex Railroad Rail-Trail" A tri-fold brochure describing the Essex Railroad Rail-Trail effort from North Andover to Peabody.

"NABAC Map of North Andover showing former route of the Essex Railroad"

We look forward to your participation in this effort! If you have questions, please contact William J. Scott, Community Development Director at 978-688-9531.

Thank you,

The North Andover Rail-Trail Committee