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Laconia Police pleased with effect of WOW trail

LACONIA- Police Chief Mike Moyer, in a letter to Diane Hanley, President of the board of Directors of the WOW Trail, said the recreational trail has improved the appearance and increased the safety of the areas through which it passes.

Noting that the police routinely patrol the trail on foot and by bicycle, Moyer said that officers enjoy the duty, which provides them with opportunities for physical exercise and to mingle with the public. He described the interaction between the police and the public on the trail as "outstanding."

Moyer said that "the WOW trail has afforded citizens the opportunity to beautify what was once a rather drab landscape. What was once a trail of broken bottles and empty fifty-five gallon barrels has been replaced by beautiful murals, flowers and a very professional looking trail." Continuing, he wrote, "It is a much safer area of town now that it has been cleaned up and restored." The chief recalled that in the past the department fielded complaints about homeless people living near the path of the trail and remarked "those calls have all but been erased."

City Councilor Bob Hamel (Ward 5) read Moyer's letter aloud when the council met on Monday night.

The trail is, in effect, a city park because most of the land it uses is railway corridor leased to the city by the state. The WOW Trail group raises funds and coordinates planning and construction activity.

Michael Kitch, Laconia Daily Sun, January 12, 2011