Potential road closure in NH - WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

[Ryan]

There will not be any chance of this issue being discussed or decided on Monday [1/26] because the Board of Selectmen agreed to push the issue to a future meeting due to the amount of interest shown.

-------------------------------

Old Green Hill Road is in danger of being shut down permanently. There has been an item added to the January 26th town meeting agenda regarding the closure of the road. A local snowmobile club has requested that the road be closed because four wheelers were ruining their trails that they work so hard to groom and maintain.

What you can do:

First, you can sign the petition. This is one of the least likely items to help, but its the easiest, and will still be helpful, as well as easy to pass on to other people. Give this link to anyone out of state, or anyone that wouldnt be motivated enough to write a letter.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/...hill-road.html

The real help comes from letters.
Write a letter to the Barrington town selectmen opposing the closure. Postal mail is most effective, but email will work as well (do both if you feel like it). Personal letters work best. A form letter is great, but it has more power if its written from your individual heart. When writing it, be respectful and keep a level head. Provide solid reasons and not hearsay. Do not speculate and dont quote anything that you dont know for 100% fact is true. Do not bash the snowmobilers.

One page is enough. Keep it short and to the point.


Format:

Your Name
Address
Date
Board of Selectmen
Barrington, NH

To Whom It May Concern:


I am writing to express my concern about the recent proposed addition to the agenda for the Jan, 26th meeting concerning the closure of Old Green Hill Rd.

Three paragraphs stating your concern. If you cant do three, dont worry. One line is better than nothing at all.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.


Sincerely
Signature

Your Name

Mail those letters to:
Board of Selectmen
41 Province Lane
Barrington, NH 03825

Email to:
ATTN: Board of Selectmen - Resident Against Old Green Hill Closure
info@Barrington.NH.gov

If you arent a resident, take that out. On January 26th, 6:30pm the town meeting takes place. We need people there to show support. If you can afford the time, PLEASE show up. The meeting will be held at the new middle school on Rte.9.

Spread this around to other clubs. Submit to reddit and Digg. Do whatever needs to be done to get word out.


Form letter for those that cant write their own:

January 16, 2009

Board of Selectmen
Barrington, NH

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to express my concern about the recent proposed addition to the agenda for the Jan, 26th meeting concerning the closure of Old Green Hill Rd.

I would like to voice my opinion against the closure of Old Green Hill Rd in Barrington. The road provides enjoyment and utility to many user groups all year round. Class 6 roads are a part of the history of the great state of NH and it would be a shame to see one closed, especially one as widely used as Old Green Hill.

Just recently, a lot of work has been put into the road by other user groups. I feel that the road is in better condition now than it has been in many years. Illegal side trails were blocked, land owners concerns were addressed, and trash was removed. The residents truly care about this road.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,

If you want to cross-post to other sites, you can use the above, or this:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Potential road closure in Barrington, NH

Barrington, NH - January 16th, 2008- A local snowmobile club has sent a request to the town to close a local trail. The item is on the agenda to be discussed at the next town meeting. We will have representatives at the meeting, but we are requesting you to voice your concerns before the meeting.

This trail is used by all user groups, not just snowmobilers and 4x4 trucks. Hikers, ATVs, and several other groups all use the trail. We would like to keep this trail open so it can continue to be enjoyed for years to come. If the snowmobile club gets its way, the road will be gated and locked on both ends and all travel will be illegal.

In 2008, a local 4x4 group, ExploringNH, held a trail cleanup and removed over 150 tires and several dump-truck loads of garbage from the road. Many illegal trails were closed and blocked to discourage continued use. Land owners along the road as well as town officials were very pleased with the turnout. Since then, the trail has stayed clean and has been more enjoyable for everyone.

Land to wheel on is becoming more and more scarce, and in NH, Class 6 roads and private land are all we have left. It would be a shame to see this trail, an historic Class 6 road, be closed forever just to please one club of people that use the trail for ¼ of the year. To help save this trail, please sign the petition, or better yet, write a letter to the Board of Selectmen before January 23rd.


Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/old-green-hill-road.html

Letters:
Board of Selectmen
41 Province Lane
Barrington, NH 03825

Email to:
ATTN: Board of Selectmen – Opinion Against Old Green Hill Closure
info@Barrington.NH.gov


Contact:
ExploringNH
info@exploringnh.com

###

[schwalby]

I can go if ya need me, might be a little late though.

[Ryan]

We wont find out until Thursday if we need to be at the meeting or not. Once we know, Ill be sure to post up.

[Scerb]

posted on NTC..

Scerb added 8 Minutes and 53 Seconds later...

before I send an email, the road is closed during snowmobile season and open the rest of the year, no? Or is it open year round and the snowmobilers just want it closed during the winter?

[NHDoberman]

Posted on TTORA.

[schwalby]

Posted on BSJ, and JeepForum.com

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Scerb

posted on NTC..

Scerb added 8 Minutes and 53 Seconds later...

before I send an email, the road is closed during snowmobile season and open the rest of the year, no? Or is it open year round and the snowmobilers just want it closed during the winter?

Right now it is subject to typical class 6 road laws. The snowmobilers use it in the winter, but legally, it is open to all users, except for mud season when its posted as closed. Out of respect, the 4x4 users dont use the trail in the winter.

The snowmobilers want to permanently close the road, year round, just for their access. They want to gate and lock the road, with only them and the fire dept having a key.

[Scerb]

Is it on the official snowmobile corridor? if so.. closing it during the winter along with the rest of the snowmobile trails doesn't sound that unreasonable..

[schwalby]

Originally Posted by Scerb

Is it on the official snowmobile corridor? if so.. closing it during the winter along with the rest of the snowmobile trails doesn't sound that unreasonable..

They want it closed year round, not just the winter.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Scerb

Is it on the official snowmobile corridor? if so.. closing it during the winter along with the rest of the snowmobile trails doesn't sound that unreasonable..

As far as I know, its not on the corridor. I agree that closing it during the winter only would not be a bad idea.. However, I dont support the fact that they want it permanently closed, year round. This means no access during the summer either. The land would effectively become private property with no chance of access. Their plan is to close it year round, not just for winter.

[Scerb]

I sent your basic email and added this:

In addition to fun, the road also draws many people to the Barrington, NH region through off-roading club runs to the area. I personally will purchase breakfast and/or lunch from local businesses in the area of a trail I travel to for a day trip. Many clubs plan to run a trail, and then have dinner afterwards at a local restaurant in the area. This is just one example of how open, legal trails draw people to local businesses and support your community.

A compromise I urge you to consider, is closing the road only during the winter snowmobiling season. This will allow the snowmobile trails to stay cleanly groomed during winter, yet allow other types of recreations to exist the rest of the year. There would be no sense in closing the road year round, as then no one will get to enjoy it during spring, summer and fall.

[schwalby]

We got someone from CA who signed. A national responce should send a strong signal.

[stinkyfinger]

Thats total crap
Just an FYI this is the road that we did the Barrington trail clean up on and the town and the road agent were very grateful of. So we will have a little help on our side, plus they have tried to close this trail in the past with no success.
I'm not a snowmobiler and I have no problem giving them the trails in the winter but they burn my a$$ when they pull crap like this and the sad thing is that there are a lot of clubs like this

[StevesJeepCountry]

I just sent 3 letters: Me(steve), Sean and Justin.

Emails will be sent soon

Steve

[Chaldaean]

Posted on IH8MUD.com (3 forums).

I've put the 26th on my calendar and will work on the letters in the coming days.

OGH is the first place I got REALLY stuck in my '88 FJ62; gotta keep it open for the next poor dude; good memories.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Chaldaean

OGH is the first place I got REALLY stuck in my '88 FJ62; gotta keep it open for the next poor dude; good memories.

Haha. Ive heard soo many "next poor dude" stories. It seems like everyone I know, old or young, has a story of going down that road.

[KLF]

Not sure who PM'd me on IH8MUD, but thanks. I just signed the petition, will send a letter to the Selectman. Let me know, I will be happy to attend the meeting, I'm not far away from the town offices and have a lot of experience with making formal presentations in front of town boards (usually the Planning Board).

[owndog12]

Originally Posted by schwalby

They want it closed year round, not just the winter.

The road should be closed for the winter - this is why winter wheeling causes problems with the sled heads , people please if you see a lot of sled tracks on any road we run , then stay off till spring ! We need to work together with them ! And as for them spending time and money on that road - well i don't see were , we did more with that road this season then any body has ever !!!
I'll send my letters and so will Rochester Tire ! Chris can you talk to the same town guy and see if he can help put a word in - After all we did clean the road !!!

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by owndog12

Chris can you talk to the same town guy and see if he can help put a word in - After all we did clean the road !!!

I know Im not Chris, but today I talked on the phone with him and the town administrator. They are both on our side. Unfortunately, they dont have any pull in the voting. They can, however, voice their individual concerns, and the board may be more willing to listen to them than someone off the street.

[dwyer1018]

i have always wondered why snowmobile club have so much pull in new hampshire

[Rubicon]

Originally Posted by Ryan

Haha. Ive heard soo many "next poor dude" stories. It seems like everyone I know, old or young, has a story of going down that road.

like ryebread929

[skibum]

Petition signed. I'll get a letter out this weekend. Thanks for the heads up.

[Rubicon]

I signed (#22)
Letters are next (snail & e-mail)
I can make it to the meeting if need be.
I added this in the petition and I figued this might help some people out in writing their own.

We the people need more land like this to enjoy the outdoors with all it's wonders and glory for future generations to come. Closing this road will mean a loss of revenue for the town. Class six roads allow people to legally go outside and appreciate the history it has to offer. Please do not close this land, that I helped clean, to everybody except only one group of people. How about the hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, ATVers, 4x4 enthusiasts, cross-country skiers, and others?

There was only had a 500 characters of room allowed.

[owndog12]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I know Im not Chris, but today I talked on the phone with him and the town administrator. They are both on our side. Unfortunately, they dont have any pull in the voting. They can, however, voice their individual concerns, and the board may be more willing to listen to them than someone off the street.

Well i'm glad your not chris ! we don't need to of ya
Thanks for being on top of this , would have been bad if it snuck threw before we had time to respond !!!!

[HJ-45]

Posted on IH8MUD for Yankee Toys. Need to include how out of staters (MA, NY) spend money when they visit for four wheeling. A compromise seems to close the road to 4wd traffic during the winter months. We have seen other town roads with this in effect. Seems like an easy fix.

[ne07fjc]

Petition signed... and the following email sent...

~~~~~~~~

Dear Barrington Board of Selectman,

While I am not a town resident, I am still compelled to express my concern
regarding the proposal to close of Old Green Hill Rd. to all but snow mobiles.

As a Massachusetts resident, I frequently travel to NH in the spring, summer and
fall because of the many legal off-road recreational opportunities that exist on
NH's Class VI roads.

Normally, it is with a small group of fellow off road enthusiasts who practice
responsible, "tread lightly" four-wheeling. Moreover, I belong to three
different clubs who participate in organized trail clean-ups and maintenance.

These groups also show respect to our "sledding brethren" during the winter
months by refraining from going off road on any Class VI road that is groomed
and/or obviously being used by them.

When we come, we bring our dollars with us. Which we ultimately spend in your
communities for gasoline, food, and lodging.

In my humble opinion, it is unreasonable for any one special interest group to
petition for the exclusive use of a public Class VI road, including 4x4
enthusiasts like myself.

I am hopeful you will agree Class VI roads should remain open to all responsible
users.

<Name>
Worcester, MA

Member: Exploring NH, Toyota Land Cruiser's Association, FJ Cruiser Northeasters

[soup31314]

Originally Posted by dwyer1018

i have always wondered why snowmobile club have so much pull in new hampshire

The reason they have so much pull is that snowmobiling is the biggest income to the state about about 1.3 billion a year. They are very organized and have been working the system for many many years.

petion signed

Also posted on military jeepers

[squareheadlight]

petition signed(#44).....im hoping i can be the next poor dude!!

[HJ-45]

Posted on FJCruiser Forums - Northeast section

[XJsport]

Signed petition #47