Category Archives: SNETT

SNETT, Trail Cleanup, Trail Walk

September Group Walk Recap

Submitted by Darren Marino, the group walk leader.

We have resumed our monthly group walk on the SNETT. We were a small group of energetic walkers with two well behaved furry friends, Oscar and Jasmine. We walked to the “nearly complete” Prospect Street tunnel which was full of activity and is looking great!

Anna and Joe (DCR) working hard on removing the debris from the stone wall near the tunnel.

We also met two hard-working DCR employees, Anna and Joe, who were busy clearing the trail section leading up to the tunnel. The cooler weather today was ideal for trail use. We visited the StoryWalk(R) “The Kissing Hand” presentation near Center Street in Bellingham which will be up for your enjoyment through Wednesday, September 16, 2020!  Hope you can join us for next month’s walk. Keep an eye out on our calendar, email and social media.

Enjoy the nice weather and the trail!

SNETT

New Kindness Rocks Spot

This young lady makes our 💕 happy. Thank you for your kindness!

Here is her story from her mom (shared with permission): “I know the town is extremely divided at this time given the recent news about schools, however I thought this might brighten up the town! My daughters and I have been walking the trunkline since the pandemic started. My oldest daughter loved the rail trail’s kindness rock section and quickly started making some. She has placed kindness rocks all over the town including the common, downtown area, and the rail trail. She then had an idea to make a kindness rocks section on the trunkline.

I present to you the newest kindness rocks project on the trunkline toward the rail trail. (Past the intersection of Old Grove, Spring St at Bubbling Brook entrance!”

You can learn more about Kindness Rocks Project here. #bekind

Featured, SNETT

Volunteers make all the difference

We appreciate all our volunteers very much. Without their advocacy and hard work, there would be a very little progress happening. Without them, there would still be obstacles on the trail after the storms. Without them, there would be no trail events happening. Without them, the trail would be littered with trash. So thank you to all our wonderful volunteers!

Featured is our volunteer member Rita M. after trash pick up along the rail trail in Franklin and Bellingham. Thank you, Rita!

Rita M. with trash collected on the SNETT
Rita M. with trash collected on the SNETT
After storm clean up.
SNETT, StoryWalk, Trail Walk

June StoryWalk(R) on the SNETT

We will be installing a StoryWalk(R) along the SNETT in Bellingham in the near future. Watch Facebook event page for more details as well as the calendar on our website.

The book will be Get Up and Go by Nancy Carlson. The StoryWalk(R) will start at Center Street trailhead in Bellingham and go in the direction toward Lake Street. Please keep in mind social distancing when visiting. We are looking forward to see you on the trail!

The StoryWalk(R) Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kello-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk(R) is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.

Featured, Prospect St. Tunnel, SNETT

SNETT TRAIL CLOSURE ADVISORY, May 11 – October 31, 2020!

We are so excited that the tunnel project under the Prospect Street in Franklin is on schedule! Please read the advisory below about the trail closure. We also suggest to follow our Facebook page for any updates, as well as the Town of Franklin, Franklin Police and Franklin DPW pages for any traffic advisories for Prospect Street during the construction. Thank you!

WHAT:          Starting the week of Monday, May 11, 2020, and continuing through Monday, October 31, 2020, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will install a new underpass at Prospect Street in the Town of Franklin along the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT).

The trail will be closed between Lake Street in the Town of Bellingham and Spring Street in the Town of Franklin, and trail users should plan to use other parts of the SNETT during this period of time.

Additionally, due to safety concerns, the public will not be allowed within the work zone area and passage around the work zone at Prospect Street in the Town of Franklin cannot be provided. Furthermore, the time period to complete the work is only an estimate, and may require additional time to complete the project.

WHERE:       Lake Street in Bellingham and Spring Street in Franklin

WHEN:          Monday May 11, 2020 – Monday, October 31, 2020

Fundraising, SNETT

Grant Received – Interpretive Signage

We are happy to announce that we have received a grant from the Franklin Cultural Council for Interpretive Signage for the SNETT rail trail.

The interpretive signage will serve as a tree identification along the section from Grove Street to Spring Street in Franklin.

Stay tuned for more details.

FCC Grant Recipients
FCC Grant Recipients, photo courtesy of FCC.
SNETT

Grove Street Parking Lot Closure

Please be aware that due to the construction of the new water treatment facility, the Grove Street parking area will closed on Thursday 2/13/2020 and Friday 2/14/2020 from 7am to 3pm (from the Franklin DPW).

Please feel free to hop on the trail from our other parking locations at Lake St or Center St in Bellingham. Thank you.

SNETT, Trail Walk

Walk Off Those Cookies December Walk

Thanks to all who joined our successful “Walk off those Holiday Cookies” December group walk on the SNETT. This was another walk with an enthusiastic crowd (15 people and 2 dogs) as we braved some morning ice on the Grove Street and Lake Street sections and trekked all to way to Center Street in Bellingham.

The group as we reached Center Street trailhead in Bellingham, MA.

Once the late morning sun arrived the trail was very navigable with the few icy spots clearly visible. The walkers who brought slip on ice crampons seemed especially enthusiastic!

Some icy spots between Lake and Center Streets in Bellingham, MA.

On today’s walk we had two founding members, Mark and Raianne, of the Massachusetts Walking Tour group who related how they promote local arts and culture throughout Massachusetts. Their Walking Tour came through the SNETT and Franklin in 2017. If you have missed it, keep an eye out for their big, annual June event. Perhaps when our Prospect Street tunnel project is complete we can entice them back for a celebratory concert!

Dogs are always welcome on our walks.

The January group walk will be held on Monday, January 20th (MLK Holiday) at 10am. Starting from Grove Street parking lot in Franklin. Happy New Year and hope you can join us on our January group walk on the SNETT!

SNETT

Spring Street info kiosk dedication

On November 3rd, 2019 group of FBRTC members gathered to honor the memory of our late member David Barber. Dave’s wife, Audrey Barber, received a commemorative plague from our committee that was placed inside the kiosk Dave built near Spring Street to honor his memory, service and dedication to the SNETT and many other New England rail trails.

Audrey Barber with FBRTC members at the Spring St kiosk.
Audrey Barber with the commemorative plague.
Dave Barber (left) with volunteers installing the kiosk near Spring St, Franklin – October 2017.