Capacity Study Done and Done!
May 5, 2021
Thanks to all who participated in guiding KT in the right direction!
The study is done, recommendations are in, and priorities are set! Kingdom Trails is so proud to announce that the KT Capacity Study is complete and we are ready to rock, taking action toward a sustainable future with your input and guidance!
As you may know, in September of 2019, KT and the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce, received a USDA Rural Business Development Grant to fund a KT Network Capacity Study with the goal of addressing issues relating to crowding, congestion, safety, and general pressure being placed on the local communities. Through these funds awarded, KT was truly fortunate to retain the services of SE Group, a recreation and community planning firm to facilitate the study.
As we shared this past February, the recommendations were deeply informed by the initial public visioning open house, conversations with stakeholders, existing conditions review, and a capacity data analysis. We then asked folks to participate further as we invited you to review the study recommendations and help shape key priorities for KT. We had over 450+ responses to the Community Priorities Survey, with about 40% of those responses being local KT Landowners, community members, and business owners. We were grateful to hear from so many!
The East Burke village crosswalk, safe road and trail crossings, and new Welcome Center were identified as the highest community priorities. KT agrees! And we are already taking action! We are currently writing multiple grants for funding to implement the needed infrastructure that will create safe road and trail crossings as early as this summer. In addition, we are working with the Town of Burke to pursue a scoping study for the crosswalk.
The biggest and most daunting, yet inspiring project our community identified will be a new Welcome Center. KT is excited to tackle this endeavor as this will not only be KT’s Welcome Center, but also a community hub for all! It will be a place to greet and educate visitors, provide office space for KT, house local programming and events, ample parking, and safe access to trails and businesses. This new Welcome Center will serve as a portal and accessible center for the entire Northeast Kingdom. We understand that these projects and improvements will not happen overnight, yet with your patience and understanding, please know that KT is striving to make the most responsible and sustainable decisions based on your input. We commit to you now, that we will continue to consistently keep you informed every step of the way.
KT is looking forward to sharing our journey through the Capacity Study in hopes that other communities may learn and look to our process as a resource. For the full story, check out Local Motion’s upcoming FREE workshop; Where Recreation Meets Transportation. KT, alongside SE Group, will serve as a real life example to help explore the overlap of transportation and recreation planning, to better connect Vermont communities.
Kingdom Trails would like to extend a heartfelt and sincere thank you to all those involved; USDA Rural Business Development, Burke Area Chamber of Commerce, Drew Pollak-Bruce and Ellie Wachtel of SE Group, Stantec, the towns and Selectboard members of Burke, Lyndonville, Kirby, and East Haven, all of the incredible stakeholder groups, amazing trail users, our community, and especially to the folks who make this all possible, the KT Landowners.
Looking forward to the future with you all!
Team KTA
Dear KT Community, I write to you today as I begin a transition in my relationship with Kingdom Trails. I have made the difficult decision to take the next step in my professional journey and step away from my role as Executive Director. Serving Kingdom Trails and this incredible community over the past eight years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am deeply proud of the work I’ve led and supported, from navigating immense global challenges and natural disasters, to forging incredible relationships, with our landowners and community. And throughout this journey, the Northeast Kingdom has become not just where I live, but truly my home. It’s the place I chose to become a mother and where my family has put down roots. That said, I am ready to explore new ways to serve this community, ways that will allow me to continue growing as a leader. I’ve accepted the role of Interim Executive Director for the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, where I will carry forward the work I fell in love with through Kingdom Trails: strengthening our communities and supporting thoughtful economic development. In this new role, I’ll have the opportunity to advocate not only for outdoor recreation, which is so essential to the heart of our region, but also for the many sectors that make the Northeast Kingdom such a unique and vibrant place. Please know I remain deeply committed to Kingdom Trails. This is my home, and it will remain my home. I wish to always be an ambassador for KT, including playing a role in ensuring a graceful, responsible transition with care. The Board of Directors and I have committed to this, to ensure continuity, stability, and the trust you hold in this organization. I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to have served my community through this role, and I look forward to closing this chapter with the same heart and good intention with which I began it. Georgia Gould is stepping in as interim Executive Director to lead the organization through this transition. Georgia has served on the KT Board of Directors since 2021, leading both the Landowner and Trail Advisory Committees. She is a KT Landowner with an impressive mountain biking and cyclocross resume - including a bronze medal in one of her two Olympic bids on Team USA and five career national championships in cross-country and short track mountain biking. Georgia, her husband Dusty, and their two young children are engaged members of the Burke community and the KT team. Her deep ties to the sport of cycling, dedication to providing great trails for all skill levels, and her love of this community make her the perfect choice to lead KT in its next phase. The Board and I are thrilled that Georgia has agreed to lead KT and feel confident that she will hold the mission of the organization at the center as she has throughout her Board service. You can reach Georgia directly and welcome her to this new role at ED@kingdomtrails.org . With deep gratitude, Abby ### Kingdom Trail Association The mission of the Kingdom Trail Association is to provide recreation and education opportunities by managing, maintaining, and building trails to foster the health of our community, surrounding environment, and regional economy. Kingdom Trails strives to accomplish this mission by offering a 100+ mile network of quality, non-motorized, multi-use trails for all levels of ability, incorporating the best of our local scenery and natural diversity. The Kingdom Trails are made possible through the generosity of 106 private landowners. Northeast Kingdom Collaborativ e The mission of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the NEK through coordinated economic and community development as the vision is a strong, vibrant Northeast Kingdom where we all thrive. The NEKC brings people together to spark positive change in our communities, creating structures that bring partners together across service areas, sectors, municipal and political boundaries to provide solutions for the renewal of the Kingdom. The NEK Collaborative serves as the backbone organization for the federally designated NEK REAP Zone and community partner for USDA Rural Development.
Cannondale Dirt Party a Success
KT is taking action—on the trails and in the Statehouse!
This 2025 Legislative Session, KT is teaming up with other amazing trail organizations through the Vermont Trails & Greenway Council, to advocate for H.147 a bill to establish the Recreational Trails Compensation Study.
Why does this matter?
Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy generates $2.1B annually, nearly 5% of the state’s GDP, that's 2nd in the nation after Hawaii (Go VT!) KT alone drives $10M in economic impact annually. Therefore, the state must recognize and incentivize these generous private landowners, including the 106 who make KT possible and allow public access to trails.
