No support for WOW Trail feasibility study from Meredith Selectboard

MEREDITH — Organizers of the WOW Trail must rethink their strategy after the Meredith Selectboard voted 3-2 not to support a feasibility study for a trail connecting Weirs Beach to Meredith at their meeting on April 18. Now, WOW Trail proponents are contemplating their next steps, and assessing the community's desires for a trail.

“It was very unfortunate,” said Meredith Economic Development Committee member Bob Manley, “It was apparent at the meeting that about half the citizens were supportive of pursuing a feasibility study, and half that spoke up were against it.”

The plans for the trail suggested following along the railroad tracks from the Weirs all the way into Meredith. However, this would result in portions of the trail intersecting private communities and properties.

“Some of these trails would be right in people's yards,” said selectboard member Jonathan James, who did not vote in favor of the study. “There's many concerns about the people that live on Needle Eye Road.

"The tracks are in their backyards as it is, you'd have to add fences, then people couldn't get to their beach.”

Selectboard member Lynne Layton has a home near Needle Eye. Layton however, voted in favor of the study, but is not necessarily in favor of the trail's current proposed location.

“I felt knowledge is power,” Layton said. “To get more information was what I was agreeing to. It wasn't that I was necessarily agreeing to the trail itself, because there are different factors that would be involved such as the liability portion, the increased police, fire, department of public works, those are all things I would need to know to make a decision.”

“First of all, for the property owners, the trail goes through their front or backyard. It splits their lots,” said selectboard member Mike Pelczar who did not vote in favor of the study. “We have three communities in Meredith that could or could not file a lawsuit to stop it, and the town's responsibility for who's on it, maintaining it [is another factor].”

Pelczar added that he is in favor of having some kind of trail, but that he saw more opposition than support for the current proposal.

“There would be some loss of privacy, on the other hand a world class amenity would be adjacent to their property,” said WOW Trail President Alan Beetle. “Many people would find that attractive, maybe not them, to be able to jump on your bike and ride from Meredith to Weirs safely on flat ground with beautiful vistas along the way. If you haven't experienced it as an adjacent abutter to the trail, you're very concerned and I understand that. 

Although the selectboard was not in favor of the feasibility study, there's technically nothing stopping the WOW Trail from conducting it. However, the public's opinion on the matter remains unclear. According to Manley and Beetle, the next step is to suss out the public's needs instead of conducting a study for a project that has no chance of getting off the ground.

“Honestly, we're a small committee that's inspired to create this trail and think it would be a real asset,” Manley said. “But if the greater Meredith community doesn't feel that way, we'd be spinning our wheels. So we'd like to get a better sense from our community.”

The methodology for getting this information has yet to be decided upon.

“What's the best way to give the entire community confidence that it's been done properly and we have a good pulse in how interested and committed the community is in this project?” Beetle asked. “If they're not, then we're done with this project. But if there's tremendous interest from both residents and people who visit, maybe we should continue on.”

Selectboard member Pelczar stated that there should be more town meetings and public discussion regarding the trail.

“A bike trail connecting everything would be awesome,” Pelczar said. “Most feel the same way, they just feel the location isn't the best from people I've heard from. It would take a lot of public hearings. Having sat on the selecttboard for eight years, unless there's something in their backyard, no one shows up about it. I think this one would get a lot of participation.”