Since 2007 when TimberHomes was first contacted to produce “some kind of trailhead noticeboards” for the City of Lebanon NH, TimberHomes has produced well over 100 of these units and has sent them as far afield as Jackson, Wyoming. It falls to David to write the contracts and make the arrangements, often with people far, far away. So it was nostalgic for the old guy to have the chance to get out and install one close by. The Barre “Cow Pasture” had been for years an informal parkland; the Cow Pasture Committee now has the charge to start making it more accessible. TimberHomes built the kiosk kit, the City of Barre got the holes dug, the Downstreet Corporation committed their maintenance staff as part of NeighborWorks Week, and suddenly, in half an hour, there it was…
The assembly crew (with one David Hooke) in front of the newly installed kiosk
The Cow Pasture is a 67-acre municipally-owned undeveloped property in Barre City. Originally pasture for the City’s work horses in the late 1800s, the property is now a popular destination for walking, cross country skiing, and other public trail uses. Most of the old pasture has grown up into forest, although some meadows and shrubby thickets persist, including raspberry patches that are popular berry picking spots. A diversity of birds, mammals, and other wildlife live and pass through the property. A small, headwater stream runs through the property and springs, seeps, and a small wetland are located along its banks. The property is bounded by private undeveloped property to the north, limited residential development and undeveloped land to the east, residential neighborhood to the south, and by Route 14 and the Hope Cemetery to the west.
– From a report prepared for the City of Barre by Sharpless Ecologic.
