THE TRAILS PROJECT! 2020 Recipient
Yippee!
The time is finally come to announce the winner . . . thank you all for your generosity and for voting this year. The first place winner this year of the $30,000 is – the Trails Project!
Our group raised $42,000 this year which is particularly inspiring to me during this scary and uncertain time. Our committee discussed what to do with the leftover money. I did not feel that we should just hold onto it until next year. We came up with the idea to fund a part of the proposal from the second-place applicant which was –the Mural Project. A majority of our membership that commented on the mural project proposal were most interested in the guide/booklet/wayfinder portion of their plan. When I reached out to Diana yesterday she too was excited about that part of her plan and will be getting bids to accomplish that. If anyone has any problems with awarding the money to the second place applicant in this way please let me know at our new email address which is – the30something.give@gmail.com .
Please put this new email address in your contacts as you will be receiving another email with more news tomorrow from this address. My committee warned me to keep this short or they were afraid that you guys wouldn’t read it . . . LOL!
Until tomorrow-
Janey
P. S. A portion of the leftover money will be held back for a new website and other expenses and hopefully funds to have a party as soon as it is safe to do so. Any funds that are left over will go towards our award for next year.
I am so very grateful to my committee from this year that did most of the heavy lifting for our fledgling organization… A special thanks to Christine Rickman, Gwen Lacy and Wendy Phillips . . . You gals rock!
All four of us have been inspired by all of you and your willingness to believe not only in our organization but more importantly in our town! Thank you, thank you, thank you . . . You are the true heroes behind enriching this town that we all love.
Boston Hill Trails and Beyond!
From the left: Receiving the check from the 30something are The Trails Project organizers Bob Schiowitz, Mike Ferris, and Martyn Pearson. They are accompanied by Gwen Lacy and Christine Rickman (left) and Wendy Phillips and Janey Katz (right) of the 30something.
Our project looks to continue improving the trails and recreational opportunities on Boston Hill. Our application is a joint effort between the Silver City Cycling Group and the Town of Silver City’s Trail and Open Space Committee. If successful, we plan to allocate funding into three parts. 1) Mountain Bike Flow Trail and necessary trail signs ($10,000). 2) System wide kiosks for displaying current maps of the area ($10,000). 3) Hiking loops, benches and hardware ($10,000).
The mountain bike flow trail would be the first of its kind in Southwest New Mexico. Built as a one-way descent, the trail would include several ‘features’, with a ‘b-line’ offering riders an opportunity to roll around the feature if they wished. While the trail would offer advanced riders an enjoyable challenge, the trail would be rideable by people of all levels and abilities should the rider chose to miss the features. The trail would be built by professional trail builder Doug Hulett, and his expertise would be essential.
Pre Covid-19, the Town of Silver City’s Trails and Open Space Committee had requested funds be allocated for the construction of seven new kiosks for Boston Hill. These kiosks would be built by the Future Forge, and positioned at key intersections, away from the sunlight to display a new, up to date map of the trail system. Unfortunately, the Town of Silver City was unable to allocate funds for this project. We hope to fund this project as part of our grant application, since the construction of these kiosks are an essential way for users to locate their position on the hill, and confidently navigate the area.
Many hikers enjoy their time on Boston Hill, and some would like to see more loops exist. Benches are a popular feature on Boston Hill also, and more opportunities to rest and take in the views of Silver City have also been discussed. Our goal would be to allocate money to the Town of Silver City’s Trails and Open Space Committee to prioritize and fund several small projects which would add new trail and infrastructure to Boston Hill.
As more people look for outdoor recreational opportunities when vacationing or relocating, Silver City has a true resource available in Boston Hill. It is imperative that we aim to showcase fun, flowing trail that’s both safe and enjoyable, complemented by accurate mapping that fills a trail user with confidence. This project helps to insure that we continue to put our best foot forward for outdoor minded adventurers living in, or visiting our town.