Those of you who were able to join the "launch party" at Sawtooth last Thursday evening felt the growing enthusiasm for the project and the excitement about our progress as the trails begin to take shape. The evening demonstrated the breadth of support from the community and was a fitting recognition of the collaboration among Dartmouth, the Hanover Improvement Society, the Town of Hanover, and all of the volunteers, contributors, and contractors who are turning this idea into a reality.
The project will be moving into high gear as the weather warms. The roads are now open to heavy truck travel so the logging operation and clean-up can be completed. Members of the Dartmouth Nordic teams joined a few other volunteers in late April to clean up a few campgrounds in anticipation of the opening of the Storrs Pond area. The heavy equipment for trail construction will arrive soon, to be followed by the snowmaking equipment installation. Per our previous communication, the trails will be disrupted throughout the summer so please use caution and avoid construction areas when visiting the site.
The final minor site plan review was completed this week by the Town planning commission. All State permits have been received, so the project is now fully permitted for trail construction.
Fundraising has been on a tear. Dartmouth completed its fundraising and signed the lease agreement last month, which allowed the College to release funds. We have also met our community fundraising target. We know that costs will go up, and we expect to need/want additional improvements to our plans, so we continue to welcome contributions. That said, we are extremely thankful for all of your generous support!
As always, you can contact us at info@oakhilloutdoorcenter.org and if you have friends who would like to donate to support the project, encourage them to visit our website. Many of you have not received this newsletter before - if you would like to read previous newsletters you can find them on the website, or directly with this link.
Peter Milliken
Comments