http://www.clearthetrail.org The Clear the Trail Initiative has lobbied for years in support of year-round access to the Minuteman Trail in Arlington, Massachusetts. Currently, the nation's second most popular multi-use trail is rendered inaccessible during the winter months due to a buildup of snow and ice. CTI wants to reverse this policy of 'access denied' and give trail users what they want; year round access to a crucial community resource. en Copyright: (C) CTI, see http://www.clearthetrail.org for terms and conditions of reuse Thu, 19 Feb 2009 http://www.clearthetrail.org/images/rss_image.jpg http://www.clearthetrail.org clearthetrail@gmail.com clearthetrail@gmail.com http://www.clearthetrail.org Six weeks have passed since the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee (LBAC) asked Lexington Town Manager, Carl Valente, to halt the pilot program of snow-removal on their section of the Minuteman Trail. The Town put the Trail last on the maintenance list and thus it was a sheet of ice by the time Town workers got out there. Add to that the small piece of equipment that was authorized by the Town, which required two passes on the Trail to clear an acceptable width, and the effort cost more than 5x what Arlington spends for a single storm. More.. http://clearthetrail.org/Lex/Lex_news.htm Thu, 19 Feb 2009 http://www.clearthetrail.org Lexington Under Ice, Still Searching for a Solution: Nearly three weeks since the pilot program of year-round access was suspended, the Lexington section of the Minuteman Trail remains under ice. Many have asked 'what is keeping Lexington from successfully implementing a snow-removal plan as neighboring Arlington has done?'. http://clearthetrail.org/Lex/Lex_news.htm Sat, 31 Jan 2009 http://www.clearthetrail.org December 21: The first day of Winter is here and already the Trail has suffered multiple storms. The Town of Arlington has reacted as they did last year and cleared the Trail in a timely fashion. By contrast, the Lexington section of the trail has not yet been cleared. After the initial ice storm and two subsequent snowstorms, the Town will have to deal with a much messier cleanup. But we chalk this up to the newness of the pilot program and expect that things will progress more smoothly moving forward..more http://clearthetrail.org/Lex/Lex_news.htm Sun, 21 Dec 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org December 6: It's official - Lexington will undertake a pilot this winter to plow their 5 miles of the Bikeway! Lexington Selectmen approved the pilot proposal of the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Friends of Lexington Bikeways (FoLB) at their November 24 meeting. However, the town is unable to commit funds for this pilot year, so the Bikeway will be plowed if the Friends and the LBAC can raise sufficient resources to see the project through the entire winter. More.. http://clearthetrail.org/Lex/Lex_news.htm Sat, 6 Dec 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org Last Monday the Lexington Selectmen voted overwhelmingly in support of year-round access..with one catch; plowing will be paid for with private donations, not Town funds. Thus far, according to a recent article in the Lexington Minuteman, $2,000 has been raised in support of this effort. Read more.. http://clearthetrail.org/Lex/Lex_news.htm Sun, 30 Nov 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org November 23, 2008: With winter temps bearing down on Boston, the inevitable snow will not be far behind. In this cold backdrop, the Lexington Board of Selectmen are scheduled to vote tomorrow on whether or not to make year-round access to the Minuteman Trail a reality this winter and, if so, how to fund it. If you have not done so already, this could be your last chance to voice support for this initiative. http://clearthetrail.org/Lex/Lex_news.htm Sun, 23 Nov 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org September 12, 2008: In the wake of Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting, there is the sense that the Lexington Selectmen are carefully considering all the options with regard to year-round access on their section of the Minuteman. While a slam dunk would have been preferable, this is certainly a positive first step toward the goal of year-round maintenance. Visit www.clearthetrail.org for a link to yesterday's article in the Lexington Minuteman. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sat, 6 Sep 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org September 6, 2008: Positive news from Lexington; year-round maintenance to the Lexington portion of the Minuteman Trail is on the agenda for this Monday's Selectmen meeting. Ten minutes have been allocated for this discussion, which is expected to take place after 8pm. The Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee (LBAC) will deliver a presentation on the low cost and high benefit of year-round access and will cite Arlington's overwhelmingly successful pilot program of last winter. This meeting is open to the public but this is not a Public Hearing. While attendance will certainly help show support, we strongly encourage you to send a letter of support for year-round access to Lexington Town Officials. Are you a Trail-user that enjoyed the benefits of year-round access to the Arlington section of the Trail last winter? Please send a letter or email to Lexington Town Officials and explain how your winter was enhanced. And if you are a Lexington resident in support of year-round access, your letter will mean that much more to the Selectmen. Please visit our'Take Action' page to send your letter today.. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sat, 6 Sep 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org September 2, 2008: One day past the unofficial end of summer and our thoughts turn to the Minuteman Trail. Will the Trail remain open and accessible through the coming winter? The Town of Lexington is taking steps to emulate the successful pilot program implemented by the Town of Arlington last winter. Not only did the accessible trail attract thousands of users that would otherwise have no option but motorized transit, the pilot program actually came in under budget. This despite one of the most snowy winters in years. The Winter Access Initiative is pleased to announce that on Monday, September 8 at 7:00 P.M., the Lexington Board of Selectman Meeting will include a discussion on plowing the Lexington portion of the Minuteman Trail this coming winter. Please voice your support for a safe and accessible Trail this coming winter by attending the meeting. And please spread the word..It's 2008. It's time to clear the trail. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Mon, 2 Sep 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org June 8, 2008: With temps hitting the 90s recently, thoughts of snow and ice are probably the furthest from your mind. But don't forget where you live..we all know the snow is just a few short months away. Luckily, the Town of Lexington is taking the initiative. Having monitored the progress, and success, of the Arlington pilot program of year-round access on the Minuteman Trail, Lexington is interested to provide the same access. This Thursday, June 12th, Lexington will host a meeting of the communities that host the Minuteman Trail. After witnessing the overwhelming success in Arlington this past winter, both citizens and town administrators alike are asking 'Why not in our Town?' Do you support year-round access to the Trail in Lexington? Come on out and voice your opinion. And if you reaped the benefits of access in Arlington this past winter, share your experiences at Thursday's meeting. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sun, 8 Jun 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org After the amazing weather we had last weekend, you can't deny that winter is over. Nor can you deny the throngs of Trail-users that have emerged from their winter slumber. This is the busy season on the Trail to be sure, but it is important to note how busy the Trail was over the winter, the first in which it was maintained after each snowstorm. CTI volunteers performed trail counts after each storm and the results were amazing.. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org February 25, 2008: Just look at that beautifully maintained Trail. This shot was taken by a CTI advocate this morning where the Trail crosses Lake St. This section of the Trail serves a neighborhood, an elementary school and Alewife. Great job Arlington! http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Mon, 25 Feb 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org February 24, 2008: It may be counterintuitive, but having as snowy a winter as we've had in Boston is a great thing for the Clear the Trail Initiative. With nearly 10 plowable storms this year, and with the Town integrating Trail maintenance into their snow-clearing plan, residents of Arlington and surrounding towns have been able to utilize the Trail as never before. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sun, 24 Feb 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org January 15, 2008: Another month, another storm. Despite the volume of snow received thus far, the Town's pilot program of winter trail maintenance is being implemented wonderfully by contractor Brian Warren. One trail watcher who went end to end on the Arlington section today, said the trail "looked the best yet." Check out our printable, tri-fold PDF flyer which is pre-addressed and easy to send. Simply fold, stamp and send. Voice your opinion today. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Tue, 15 Jan 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org January 7, 2008: After checking in with the Town Clerk, Clear the Trail Initiative learned that in order for your letters of support for year-round access to the Minuteman Trail, email is not enough. The Town will only consider hard copy correspondence 'official' and thus note it during meeting of the Selectmen. If you plan to write and email, please print out a copy and mail it to the Arlington Town Hall, 2nd Floor, Board of Selectman Office, 730 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA 02476. CTI has a tri-fold flyer and a postcard campaign currently under development and we'll post info as those efforts come online. In the meantime, printing out a copy of your email and mailing it in will be best. Thanks again for your support and, above all, your action in this matter. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Mon, 7 Jan 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org January 5, 2008: With one of the most snowy Decembers in recent years, winter has sure come in like a bear this year. Luckily, the efforts of Arlington's contracted snow-removal specialist, Brian Warren, have kept the trail clear for all users. And those users have come out in force to take advantage of 'Arlington's Busiest Sidewalk'. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sat, 05 Jan 2008 http://www.clearthetrail.org December 16, 2007: Another storm down, another great clearing job by contractor Brian Warren. In a winter that has come roaring in, Warren's efforts have provided the access that hundreds of users have taken advantage of. In addition... http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sun, 16 Dec 2007 http://clearthetrail.org December 4, 2007: After the year's first round of heavy wet snow, trail users waited and watched. Will the Town make good on it's commitment? If so, how long would it take? We're happy to report that within 24 hours of the storm, the entire Arlington section of the trail had been cleared. More.. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Sat, 8 Dec 2007 http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm October 31: In a surprise turnaround, the Board of Selectmen, believed to have only two solid votes in support of year-round maintenance on the Minuteman Trail, voted unanimously in support of a pilot program to do just that. Funding the initiative up to $2,500 for the coming winter, the Town will plow and sand the trail from end to end. The hard part is over, now comes the task of watchdogging to ensure the pilot program is executed in accordance with the wishes of the vast constituency that has called for this measure. Visit www.clearthetrail.org for links to local news articles about this huge step forward for Arlington, its residents, and trail users from surrounding communities. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Wed, 31 Oct 2007 http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm October 17: After more than an hour of public debate - overwhelmingly in support of year-round access - the Town tabled the issue at last month's public hearing. The Selectmen of the Town of Arlington are expected to revisit the issue of year-round access during their October 29 meeting. At the public hearing, Town Administrators pushed back against the idea of year-round acces. Town Manager Brian Sullivan quoted clearly inflated numbers provided by the DPW head, John Bean. According to Bean, winter access to the Trail will cost $26,000, a figure that did not stand up to scruting. The Monday, October 29 meeting is another opportunity to display the overwhelming support for this initiative. Gather your friends and come down to Arlington Town Hall at 7pm and help defend this crucial community resource. Can't be there in person? Please send a letter of support today. http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm/ Thu, 18 Oct 2007 http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm September 16, 2007: With summer in its last days, the thoughts of many trail users turn once again to the issue at hand - keeping the Arlington stretch of the trail accessible througout the winter. After an extensive lobbying effort by CTI advocates, which included the canvassing of key abutters to gauge support for our initiative, the Town of Arlington has agreed to address the issue in a Public Hearing. This is an opportunity for all trail users to demonstrate overwhelming support for year-round access. No matter what you use the trail for - recreation, transportation, relaxation, exercise - I urge you to attend this meeting to push this issue. And please bring friends.. Public Hearing on year-round Trail Access 7PM Monday September 24, 2007 Arlington Town Hall 2nd floor 730 Massachusetts Ave Bike racks out front http://clearthetrail.org/news.htm Fri, 7 Sep 2007