DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo tours Nashua River Rail Trail
The Lowell Sun | August 1, 2023
https://www.lowellsun.com/2023/08/01/dcr-commissioner-brian-arrigo-tours-nashua-river-rail-trail/
PEPPERELL — Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo joined with the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail, members of the legislative delegation and municipal officials from Groton and Pepperell to walk a segment of the 12-mile Nashua River Rail Trail July 21.
The scenic rail trail was acquired by the DCR in 1987 and it first opened in October 2002. It begins at the Ayer Central Business District near the commuter rail station and passes through the towns of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Dunstable to the New Hampshire border and beyond. The popular trail is used by bicyclists, runners, walkers, roller skaters and cross-country skiers.
Over the past 20 years, portions of the rail trail have come to be in need of maintenance and repair. Potholes, protruding rocks, cracks, washouts and gaps can be seen along many parts of the rail trail. In 2019, state Sen. Ed Kennedy, D-Lowell, was able to secure a local initiative in a transportation bond bill that provided authorization to bond $650,000 for the repair and repaving of the Nashua River Rail Trail.
This year, the Healey-Driscoll administration has included $650,000 to repave the trail in its 2024-2028 Capital Investment Plan. In the spring of 2023, the DCR spent approximately $400,000 on repairs to the NRRT, including resurfacing, signage replacement and refreshing of pavement markings.
“As a user of the Nashua River Rail Trail, I know first-hand that the rail trail has been overdue for repaving and certain maintenance. I am very thankful to DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo for taking an interest in the Nashua River Rail Trail. I also want to thank the Healey-Driscoll administration for including the trail in their capital investment plan,” Kennedy said.
In addition to Kennedy, state Rep. Margaret Scarsdale, D-Pepperell, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Marlboro, state Rep. Danillo Sena, D-Acton, and Susan Templeton from the office of state Sen. John Cronin, D-Fitchburg, joined the rail trail tour.
“Commissioner Arrigo has hit the ground running, and we appreciate his leadership and willingness to engage with the delegation and the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail. This trail provides recreation, relaxation, and respite to thousands of users and we are eager to restore it so that residents and visitors can safely enjoy it for years to come,” Scarsdale said.
Groton Select Board Chair Peter Cunningham, who is one of the leaders of the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail, led the tour that focused on the Pepperell segment of the rail trail.
“DCR Commissioner Arrigo’s visit to the Nashua River Rail Trail (NRRT) in Pepperell this past Friday is a very positive sign that the agency will now sharpen its focus on the importance of the NRRT to the towns in the Nashoba Valley and the need for its reconstruction,” Cunningham said. “Viewing firsthand deteriorated trail conditions and their impact on user enjoyment and safety speaks to the old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’”
“I am grateful to DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo for visiting Pepperell to tour the Nashua River Rail Trail with state legislators, municipal officials, and rail trail enthusiasts,” Eldridge said. “The walk was an important opportunity to show Commissioner Arrigo the need to repave the twenty-year-old rail trail and thank him and the Healey-Driscoll administration for including $650,000 in the administration’s capital plan, to upgrade the rail trail. This will provide a beautiful recreational opportunity for bicyclists and pedestrians through the communities of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Townsend, up to New Hampshire.”
Many members of the state legislature have welcomed the appointment of Arrigo as commissioner of DCR since he assumed the role in April this year. Prior to his role as DCR commissioner, Arrigo served as mayor of Revere from January 2016 to April 2023, and before that as Revere city councilor from January 2012 to December 2015.
“I’m thankful to the local delegation and the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail for meeting with me along the trail to discuss NRRT’s importance to Ayer, Groton, Dunstable and Pepperell. DCR is committed to working with our partners in the legislature, the Administration and our municipalities to support our extensive shared-use trail network which offers tremendous environmental, social and economic benefits to our state and our residents by connecting communities, reducing carbon emissions and providing equal access to open space,” Arrigo said.
To read the full story, click here