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Senate hearing backs 4‑year rail‑trail pilot to invest in corridors, DNCR/DOT discuss transfers and funding
Summary
Sen. Donovan Fenton sponsored SB 274 to establish a four‑year pilot (with bond funding) to transfer and improve several state rail corridors, create emergency repair funds and expand Bureau of Trails capacity; witnesses described tourism, health and economic benefits and urged tailoring fiscal notes for feasibility.
Senator Donovan Fenton introduced Senate Bill 274 to establish a four‑year pilot program to improve and, in several cases, transfer state‑owned rail corridors into a managed rail‑trail network. The bill would leverage federal, state and private funds and include bond appropriations for staffing, emergency repairs and early‑stage project work.
Sponsor and witnesses said rail trails are a tourism and economic asset. Mike Kowalczyk, a board member of the New Hampshire Rail Trail Coalition and subcommittee participant, told the committee New Hampshire has roughly 632 potential rail‑trail miles when state, municipal and privately owned corridors are combined and that 70% of residents live within five miles of a trail. Kowalczyk cited out‑of‑state examples where improved trail infrastructure produced tens of millions in annual economic activity and urged investment to attract multi‑day visitors.
Mary Anne Borowski, founder of the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail and vice president of the Rail Trail Coalition, said her 83‑mile route already draws several thousand inquiries and over 1,500 end‑to‑end riders; she described businesses that have grown around trail access, including a redeveloped mill complex in Littleton marketed as a "Rail Trail Village." Borowski said improved trail surfaces extend seasons for snowmobiling, biking and other uses and increase year‑round spending in rural communities.
Witnesses proposed a pilot focused on four corridors (including the Cheshire Rail Trail and sections of the Ammonoosuc and Presidential trails) that would transfer roughly 68 miles of DOT‑owned corridor to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) Bureau of Trails for recreational management. DNCR Chief Craig Rennie explained the bureau manages over 300 miles of rail‑trail property today and distributes motorized registration funding to clubs for maintenance; DNCR would use pilot funding for staffing, equipment and an emergency trail repair fund to respond to storm damage.
Shelley Winters of the Department of Transportation said DOT supports transferring corridors to DNCR for recreational management where appropriate but asked that any emergency repair fund language also make DOT eligible to draw on those funds for corridors DOT continues to own. Michael Eastman, captain and OHRV coordinator at Fish and Game, said Fish and Game would continue enforcement and supported the bill after an amendment removed references to HikeSafe funds.
Speakers urged that the bill’s fiscal note be revised to spread the proposed investment over the pilot period and make the funding ask feasible for the current budget climate. Several witnesses stressed the pilot could pay dividends: studies cited in the state rail‑trail plan estimate millions in annual tax revenue from trail users and multiple speakers described local business benefits.
The committee closed the hearing after extensive testimony from rail‑trail advocates, DNCR, DOT and law enforcement; members suggested working through funding details and agency responsibilities before committee action.
