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Mount Crescent Trailhead Project
Underway For nearly the past two years, members of the Randolph Community Forest Commission, the Randolph Mountain Club, and the Town of Randolph have quietly been laying the groundwork on a very exciting project: securing a permanently-protected trailhead at the end of Randolph Hill Road for the many trails in the Crescent Range. Thanks to the generosity of Becky Boothman and Wayne Parker, we now have an option for 10 acres of land which would serve as a perfect location for a trailhead area, including parking and a small, informational kiosk. The Town of Randolph has until the end of December, 2009, to secure funding and exercise the option to buy the land. Realizing that time is of the essence, this spring representatives of the Community Forest Commission, the Town, the Randolph Foundation, and the Randolph Mountain Club came together to develop a strategy to achieve the goal. The town needs to raise $150,000 to cover the appraised value of the land, and complete the simple, rustic parking area and kiosk for hikers, skiers and snowshoers. The first $105,000 is needed by December 31, 2009, to purchase the land. In just a few short months, much has transpired. An active committee is now hard at work. Members of the committee represent a broad cross-section of the Randolph Community, and include a current and past President of the RMC, members of the Forest Commission, a representative from the Board of Selectmen, and the current President of the Randolph Foundation. The roster of the committee consists of Ben Phinney, Paula Bradley, Michele Cormier, Dave Govatski, Ken Lee, Cathy MacDowell, Doug Mayer, John Scarinza, and David Willcox. Since its inception, the committee has developed a project budget, a fundraising plan and a timeline for the endeavor. Members of the RMC, as well as recipients of the Mountainview, received a mailing about the project a few months ago. In conjunction with a successful grant application to the Fields Pond Foundation, over $40,000 has already been pledged to the project, including two pledges of $5,000 each from the Randolph Foundation and the RMC. Over $100,000 remains to be raised, however—a heady goal, in this era of economic unraveling. This spring and summer, the committee hopes to secure a number of meaningful gifts from both foundations and private donors. Gifts of cash or securities can be made to the RMC, the Randolph Foundation, or directly to the Town of Randolph. Look for more news on the Mount Crescent Trailhead project this summer. Should you have questions about the Mount Crescent Trailhead project, please don’t hesitate to contact one of the members of the committee, or Committee Chair Ben Phinney directly. When an opportunity presents itself to help preserve part of Randolph’s unique outdoors heritage, its residents have consistently shown themselves to be generous with their time and money. The trails clean-up from the devastating 1998 ice storm, the creation of the Randolph Community Forest, and the construction of Stearns Lodge all come to mind. Now, this outdoors community is faced with another great opportunity that, if achieved, will help protect our mountain heritage for future generations. We look forward to sharing more information on the progress of this project, this summer.
Back to Table of Contents - RMC Newsletter, Summer 2009
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