Allan Beetle: The WOW Trail mission remains the same, and work continues

For nearly two decades, the WOW Trail’s mission has remained unchanged: To create a safe, scenic and continuous recreational trail connecting Laconia, Weirs Beach and Meredith.

Today, people walk, run and bicycle along completed sections through Laconia, enjoying access to our lakes, neighborhoods and downtown areas. But the trail’s full value will be realized when those sections become part of a larger regional connection.

Our goal is to extend the trail north through Weirs Beach and into Meredith, while supporting the regional connection south to Franklin and the Northern Rail Trail.

Projects of this size do not move forward in a straight line. They require planning, engineering, public approvals, funding and cooperation with numerous partners and neighboring property owners. While progress can be difficult to see from the outside, considerable work is taking place.

The most visible example is the Lakeport Connector.

The project will connect the existing WOW Trail to the continuing redevelopment of Lakeport. It is being made possible by a substantial private investment by developer Scott Everett, and a $100,000 commitment from the WOW Trail. It demonstrates what can be accomplished when private investment and community support come together.

More than simply a short addition, the connector will provide safer pedestrian infrastructure, make the trail more useful and bring the larger regional vision closer to reality.

At the same time, we are actively working on the trail’s future between Weirs Beach and Meredith.

We recognize this four-mile section would not initially connect with the completed WOW Trail through Laconia. Ideally, the trail would extend uninterrupted from Lakeport to Weirs Beach and then into Meredith. However, challenges differ throughout the corridor, and the project must sometimes advance where the clearest opportunity exists.

With significant issues still to be resolved between Lakeport and Weirs Beach, the Weirs Beach to Meredith section may be our best opportunity to move a major new section forward. This does not mean abandoning the Lakeport connection; it means pursuing progress where it is most achievable.

The northern section would also be a significant community asset on its own, providing a safer recreational route between two of the Lakes Region’s most active destinations, connecting neighborhoods and businesses, and laying a foundation for the full regional trail.

Planning this corridor is complicated. The trail must coexist with an active railroad, roads, businesses, residences, natural features and existing community uses. Our work includes surveying possible alignments, identifying where easements may help and coordinating with property owners and government officials.

We now have a clearer understanding of where the trail can be located within the state-owned railroad right-of-way and where cooperation with adjacent property owners could produce a better, more cost-effective route. Productive conversations with key property owners are underway as we refine a conceptual alignment toward Meredith.

A trail can be drawn on a map quickly; building one responsibly requires listening to the people it will affect. We know residents and property owners have questions about safety, privacy, railroad operations, snowmobile access, environmental impacts and construction. Our responsibility is to provide accurate information, listen carefully and seek practical solutions.

We also hear concerns about homeless encampments and troubling behavior along portions of the existing trail. Homelessness is a broader community problem the WOW Trail cannot solve, but we take the trail’s condition and the safety of its users seriously. We communicate with city leaders, police and public works personnel about encampments, visibility and maintenance. Trail users deserve to feel safe and welcome, while people experiencing homelessness deserve to be treated humanely.

Listening does not mean abandoning the mission. It means building the best trail we can in a way that earns public confidence.

Cost is another significant challenge. A trail beside an active rail corridor may cost well over $1 million per mile when engineering, permitting, construction and project management are included. Extending the trail will require major public and private funding, not simply community fundraisers.

Major state and federal funding generally goes to projects that demonstrate community support, a feasible route, sound engineering and readiness. To compete successfully, we must continue developing the project beyond an idea on a map.

The completed WOW Trail, through Laconia, was built section by section, through years of planning, fundraising, public cooperation and persistence. We bring that same persistence to the next chapter.

There will be challenges and difficult questions, and we will be candid about them. But the larger vision remains alive, and real work is underway.

A connected trail, from Laconia, through Lakeport, and Weirs Beach, to Meredith, would be an extraordinary regional asset for generations. It would provide residents and visitors with safer ways to walk and bicycle, support physical and mental health, connect neighborhoods and business districts, and improve access to our waterfronts. Trails attract visitors, support nearby businesses and make communities more desirable places to live, work and invest.

The route ahead will require patience, cooperation and broad community support. The mission, however, remains clear: to keep building the connections that will one day make the WOW Trail a truly regional trail.

To follow the trail’s progress, explore the Opechee Loop Map or learn about upcoming events and opportunities to support the WOW Trail, visit wowtrail.org.

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Allan Beetle is president of the WOW Trail.