“The Connecticut River is a jewel that remains largely hidden from public view and access in much of the Upper Valley. The opportunity to display this ornament in perpetuity, with access to all, is exceedingly rare and should not be squandered, even as the city pursues the cleanup of the old Westboro rail yard nearby with an eye to providing public access to the Connecticut. Parks along the river connected by walking trails would be a magnificent addition to the area’s quality of life.”

On Thursday, November 14th representatives from Lyme Properties (www.lymeproperties.com) updated the Lebanon Conservation Commission on the vision for River Park West Lebanon as a walkable campus, prioritizing public access to the Connecticut River and open space. Lyme announced the formation of Friends of River Park (www.friendsofriverpark.org), a New Hampshire not-for-profit entity that will take ownership of the riverfront open space parcel at River Park to ensure permanent protection and access to the river by the general public.

Lyme Properties remains 100% committed to the goal of public access to the Connecticut River, which was the top priority to come out of the Neighborhood Planning Process during the planning stages. We also see an opportunity for River Park to be a key connection to additional trail and recreational opportunities in West Lebanon and the region.

We won!  Thanks to your help and thoughtful comments to the Commissioner of the N.H. Department of Transportation, Lyme has succeeded in convincing the DOT to drop their insistence for a three lane Route 10 between the two entrances into River Park.  This has been a long and expensive process, but I feel strongly that the two lane option approved by the Lebanon Planning Board is the correct decision and one that allows the traffic impacts of River Park to be appropriately mitigated.