Railroad Park celebrates successful effort

Argie's Wife · 10-12-2010, 12:34 PM

If you haven't been to the RR Park in Alton it's certainly worth checking out - great little park to stroll with the dog or let the kids play. This area certainly has come a long way!

Railroad Park celebrates successful effort
Alton:

By JOHN KOZIOL
jkoziol@citizen.com
Monday, October 11, 2010

It's a long time gone from the heyday of the Boston & Maine Railroad, but the line lives on in a park in Alton Village that bears its name and that supporters hope will continue to be developed in coming years.

On Sunday, the Downtown Revitalization Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Board of Selectmen, held an open house at the B & M Railroad Park on Depot Street to celebrate the committee's meeting its seven-year old charge to "revitalize the village for the benefit of the townspeople and visitors alike;" to thank the many people who made the park possible; and, just as importantly, said Judy Fry, to inspire a new generation to do still more.

The chairperson of the revitalization committee, Fry said the park was nothing more than a dumping ground and that it was in "shameful condition" before improvements began. To date, the work has included a top-to-bottom cleanup of the park parcel, which measures just under an acre. A new flagpole, donated by the American Legion Post 72, greets visitors to the park and is the centerpiece of a textured, concrete courtyard that replaces the packed dirt that was there before. Local veterans are honored on plaques built into the base of the flagpole. The craftsman who did the courtyard created a B& M logo on the ground in front of the old freight depot which had to be rehabilitated from the ground up and now sports a new paint job.

A trail system leads visitors throughout the park, including to a semicircular boardwalk that extends into an adjacent wetland where there are signs identifying the various flora and fauna that can be seen there throughout the year. There is a playground and a horseshoe pit and a bocce court is in the works, said Fry. The park has benches and a picnic table and is also home to a vintage B & M caboose and to the former Loon Cove Station, which in 2009 was relocated there from its original home on Route 11.

The Loon Cove Station, the caboose, the freight depot — and a trail that could connect the park to nearby Route 28 — are all in the works, said Fry, but the revitalization committee's official work is over.

"We met our goal. It was time," said Fry of the request she presented to the Alton selectmen in September to disband the seven-year old committee. She said she was proud of and grateful for all the volunteer work that has gone into the B & M Railroad Park, noting that railroads have a long and important history in Alton.

"It was a destination, it truly was," Fry said of Alton back in the 1840s and for many years forward when visitors from Boston would be met at the stations in town by horse-drawn carriages from the area's various and numerous lodging establishments. The town's several freight and passengers depots — the Alton Village station had both — "were very busy" in their prime, but B & M's passenger service to Alton ceased in 1935, a victim of the automobile, while the last freight train came to town in 1942.

Sixty-one years later, the town began looking at the Alton Village depot again and the result is the B& M Railroad Park.

Cumulatively, the revitalization committee raised about $75,000 for the park, including through grants and a rubber ducky race on the Merrymeeting River. The park "is a place you can walk to easily" from anywhere in the downtown, said Fry, and it is also dog-friendly. She added that what was once an eyesore is now "a million-dollar property" and an asset to the community.

"Today was an opportunity for us to say 'thank you' to the many people who supported the project with a few hours or for the long run," she said.

CITIZEN PHOTO JOHN KOZIOL JUDY FRY, chairperson of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, shows pictures of what the former Alton Village Freight Depot, in front of which she is standing, looked like before the development of the B&M Railroad Park. The revitalization committee, which recently disbanded after completing its work, held an open house at the park on Sunday to thank the many volunteers who helped make the park possible.
Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

RailroadJoe · 10-12-2010, 05:57 PM

I agree that a lot has been done and it all looks great. Except for the Loon Cove station which has sat unfinished for about 2 years now. It would ne nice to see it restored and available to walk through , similar to Ashland.

Lakesrider · 10-12-2010, 07:20 PM

Speaking of depots, they are almost finished with the depot in Wolfeboro. That place was falling down. Glad to see they fixed it rather than tear it down...

I have to get down to check out the park in Alton before it gets too cold...

10-12-2010, 12:34 PM	#1
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	Railroad Park celebrates successful effort If you haven't been to the RR Park in Alton it's certainly worth checking out - great little park to stroll with the dog or let the kids play. This area certainly has come a long way! Railroad Park celebrates successful effort Alton: By JOHN KOZIOL jkoziol@citizen.com Monday, October 11, 2010 It's a long time gone from the heyday of the Boston & Maine Railroad, but the line lives on in a park in Alton Village that bears its name and that supporters hope will continue to be developed in coming years. On Sunday, the Downtown Revitalization Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Board of Selectmen, held an open house at the B & M Railroad Park on Depot Street to celebrate the committee's meeting its seven-year old charge to "revitalize the village for the benefit of the townspeople and visitors alike;" to thank the many people who made the park possible; and, just as importantly, said Judy Fry, to inspire a new generation to do still more. The chairperson of the revitalization committee, Fry said the park was nothing more than a dumping ground and that it was in "shameful condition" before improvements began. To date, the work has included a top-to-bottom cleanup of the park parcel, which measures just under an acre. A new flagpole, donated by the American Legion Post 72, greets visitors to the park and is the centerpiece of a textured, concrete courtyard that replaces the packed dirt that was there before. Local veterans are honored on plaques built into the base of the flagpole. The craftsman who did the courtyard created a B& M logo on the ground in front of the old freight depot which had to be rehabilitated from the ground up and now sports a new paint job. A trail system leads visitors throughout the park, including to a semicircular boardwalk that extends into an adjacent wetland where there are signs identifying the various flora and fauna that can be seen there throughout the year. There is a playground and a horseshoe pit and a bocce court is in the works, said Fry. The park has benches and a picnic table and is also home to a vintage B & M caboose and to the former Loon Cove Station, which in 2009 was relocated there from its original home on Route 11. The Loon Cove Station, the caboose, the freight depot — and a trail that could connect the park to nearby Route 28 — are all in the works, said Fry, but the revitalization committee's official work is over. "We met our goal. It was time," said Fry of the request she presented to the Alton selectmen in September to disband the seven-year old committee. She said she was proud of and grateful for all the volunteer work that has gone into the B & M Railroad Park, noting that railroads have a long and important history in Alton. "It was a destination, it truly was," Fry said of Alton back in the 1840s and for many years forward when visitors from Boston would be met at the stations in town by horse-drawn carriages from the area's various and numerous lodging establishments. The town's several freight and passengers depots — the Alton Village station had both — "were very busy" in their prime, but B & M's passenger service to Alton ceased in 1935, a victim of the automobile, while the last freight train came to town in 1942. Sixty-one years later, the town began looking at the Alton Village depot again and the result is the B& M Railroad Park. Cumulatively, the revitalization committee raised about $75,000 for the park, including through grants and a rubber ducky race on the Merrymeeting River. The park "is a place you can walk to easily" from anywhere in the downtown, said Fry, and it is also dog-friendly. She added that what was once an eyesore is now "a million-dollar property" and an asset to the community. "Today was an opportunity for us to say 'thank you' to the many people who supported the project with a few hours or for the long run," she said. CITIZEN PHOTO JOHN KOZIOL JUDY FRY, chairperson of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, shows pictures of what the former Alton Village Freight Depot, in front of which she is standing, looked like before the development of the B&M Railroad Park. The revitalization committee, which recently disbanded after completing its work, held an open house at the park on Sunday to thank the many volunteers who helped make the park possible. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

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10-12-2010, 05:57 PM	#2
RailroadJoe Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 620 Thanks: 259 Thanked 158 Times in 100 Posts	I agree that a lot has been done and it all looks great. Except for the Loon Cove station which has sat unfinished for about 2 years now. It would ne nice to see it restored and available to walk through , similar to Ashland.

10-12-2010, 07:20 PM	#3
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	Speaking of depots, they are almost finished with the depot in Wolfeboro. That place was falling down. Glad to see they fixed it rather than tear it down... I have to get down to check out the park in Alton before it gets too cold...