This year, Bay State Bike Week will take place from May 11 - 19, and for the first time includes both weekends to extend the fun even more!  We encourage local bike groups to plan activities.  We will include Bike Week activities in our next newsletter.

The Berkshire Running Club is sponsoring a half marathon starting at the mall and ending at the Adams Visitors Center on May 19 beginning at 9:30  Entry fees are $55 up to March 1 and $65 thereafter.  For more information contact Kent Lemme at 413-344-4472.
 
The Berkshires to Boston Bicycle Tour is a four-day, 240 mile bike tour showcasing the best of Massachusetts cycling. Beginning near the New York border in the town of Hancock, MA, the tour meanders through the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley and the state's central highlands before arriving in the "hub" of Massachusetts bicycling - Boston. There, riders will join more than 5,000 cycling enthusiasts for Hub on Wheels, Boston's annual bicycling festival.

Volunteers will be needed at the start location and we would love to have Berkshire cyclists escort the group through the Berkshires and maybe as far as Greenfield on the first day.
As more information becomes available we will post it on our website.  If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a participant please let us know at info@berkshirebikepath.com.

Last year a group of local cyclists joined Elmar Smidinger in exploring his hometown Hochst, Austria.  Riding up and around Lake Constance, the group visited local sites, ate great food and appreciated the history of this area.

Plans are in the making to return this year.  The trip will include a structured, supported ride with a tour group as  well as a few days in Hochst.  Leaving from Bosquet Ski area on Aug 29 and returning on Sept 9, the trip costs will include airport transportation, airfare, tour costs and hotel in Hochst.  Lunches and dinners are not included.  Bike rentals are available. Plans are not finalized and final costs not yet determined.

If you are interested please Contact Marge at momimarge@msn.com

Adams to North Adams
The exciting news is that the Berkshire Scenic Railroad plans to operate the Hoosac Valley Service on five miles of track between Adams and North Adams.  The first 6/10 of a mile will run parallel to the bike path.  Rails with Trails is a concept that has been successful in other parts of the country.  The combination will make this a hub of activity and an exciting tourist destination.
 
MassDOT is supporting the project by completing the acquisition of the active Pan Am rail line  in North Adams and providing the funding required to complete the design work on the shared right-of-way needed to replace six-tenths of a mile of track, running from the Adams Visitor Center on Hoosac Street to Burke Construction.  Along the shared portion of the trail, there will be a fence that will be located about 14 feet off the center of the railroad. There will be a unpaved portion between the fence and the bike path. Work on this project will not delay plans to begin bike path construction to Lyme Street this Spring.
 
Congratulations go to the Town of Adams and City of North Adams.  Their commitment  to this project and the remarkable speed at which things came together is a reflection of  their understanding of what an economic generator this project will be to their communities.
 
The Williamstown selectmen unveiled a proposal to apply for FEMA relief money as a result of damage suffered during Hurricane Irene.  The money will be used as part of the purchase price of the Spruces Mobile Home Park which suffered extensive damage during the hurricane.  In addition Williamstown is applying to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for a grant which will also be used to acquire ownership of the Spruces.  A bicycle path, sports fields and land set aside for conservation are some of the proposed uses for the 114 acre Spruces property.
 
Mohawk Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail   MassDOT Project 607254
Berkshire Regional Planning has supplied additional inputs to clarify MassDOT inquires.  Scenic Byway money is still anticipated to fund the planning and design phases of this project.  This 2.5 mile path will roughly follow the southern bank of the Hoosic River from the North Adams town line into Williamstown.

Pittsfield
The next step of the process on the state's end is for Senator Downing and Representative Farley-Bouvier and Berkshire Regional Planning  to meet with DOT to push for the release of the $500,000 earmark from the transportation bond bill so the city can move forward with the purchase of the railroad property. The city is attempting to contact the railroad people to make sure the offer is still on the table. 

Great Barrington
Chris Rembold, GB Town Planner, is actively exploring an on road route that will connect with planned Stockbridge bike lanes.
 
 BRPC Executive Director, Nat Karns and Senior Transportation Planner, Doug Plachcinski attended the second annual Western New England Greenway (WNEG) Conference at the Bennington Museum on November 10, 2012.   The Conference had about 40 attendees.  The Conference's sessions included local updates from Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in the morning.  Representatives from Rails-to-Trails and Vermont presented studies that quantified positive economic benefits of trails. Afternoon sessions included regional tours within a Revolutionary War historical context and state updates from Vermont and Connecticut.   

The final session of the conference was a roundtable brainstorm of action steps and volunteering. Three working groups tasked with developing a 'ride-it-now' map, organizing a corridor bike tour for the summer, and coordinating a legal structure for the multi-region and state WNEG group to operate.  Nat is participating in the legal structure task and Doug is helping develop the "ride-it-now' map. For more information, contact Doug at dplachcinski@berkshireplanning.org

 Stephen Stenson with Real Estate Development and Property Management Company (REDPM), located in Cambridge Mass, contacted us through the Berkshire Cycling Association.  The REDPM Company will be refurbishing the Mausert Block in Adams with construction to start in the spring of 2013.  As the Mausert Block abuts the Ashuwillticook Stephen requested inputs on making this project bike friendly.   He is wise planner when he foresees the benefits to potential tenants and customers of a project near a bike path.
 
We suggested a bike friendly facility would be:
· A place to park cars
· A place to safely lock bicycles
· A place to refill water bottles
· Restroom facilities
Thanks Stephen for contacting us and good luck with your project.

Ashuwillticook in winter