Proposed changes to Management Plan for LVRT now under review.

Proposed LVRT Management Plan

A new and more detailed management plan for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail has been proposed and is now available for public review. The proposed Management Plan for the LVRT was developed by the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Committee (LVRTC) in cooperation with VAST. A public hearing on this plan was held on July 8th at Vermont Interactive Television (VIT) studios in
Lyndonville, Montpelier, Waterbury, St. Albans and Johnson.
The FLVRT, on behalf of non-motorized recreational users of the LVRT, submitted written comments after reviewing the proposed Management Plan. Those comments included the following points, which we encourage our members to support.
1. We appreciate the considerable efforts of VAST and the LVRTC to move this project forward and the willingness of these organizations to involve the FLVRT and other non-motorized recreational users in this effort. In this regard we especially want to acknowledge the assistance of Alan Robertson, Project Engineer for the LVRT and Laird MacDowell, Chair of the LVRTC.
2. We would strongly encourage the LVRT Management Plan to emphasize and provide a specific commitment to the development and opening, even if on a provisional basis, of segments of the LVRT in all three counties for the non-winter recreational use ASAP, hopefully by early 2009.
3. We would strongly encourage the LVRT Management Plan to make clear that the vision for the LVRT is to be a non-motorized recreational trail, except for snowmobiles in the winter and that AVT usage will be prohibited except for a limited number of perpendicular crossings.

4. We would encourage VAST and the LVRTC to develop by September 1, 2008 a schedule outlining in detail all elements associated with LVRT development including issuing permits.
5. We would strongly encourage the LVRT Management Plan to make a commitment to simplifying LVRT governance structure to accomplish the following within 3 years:
(a) The representation of non-motorized users on the LVRTC in proportion to their use of the LVRT once developed.
(b) The election or selection of the non-motorized user representatives on the LVRTC by non-motorized users.
6. We would strongly encourage a more proactive and supportive involvement of the State of Vermont via agencies that have a mission to support the recreational and economic development aspects of the LVRT.
Again, the FLVRT hopes to continue to work and partner with VAST, the current LVRTC and others with an interest in the LVRT to make this trail a reality as quickly as possible.

Other News from FLVRT:

Alan Robertson Presents "Where's the Trail?"

Report finds that active outdoor recreation is more than Just Big Fun, it's huge economic driver...

Clearing the LVRT and Helping Vermonters in Need