NEWPORT — Six snowmobile clubs in Orleans County have received grant money from the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) for the purpose of maintaining and relocating snowmobile trails.
Multiple construction projects were completed throughout the county this summer in order to maintain Orleans County’s connection to the states 4,700-mile statewide trail system.
The projects were completed in the towns of Derby, Holland, Morgan, Newport City, Coventry, Jay, Troy, Westfield, Lowell, Albany, Glover, Barton, Orleans, Evansville, and Westmore.
Projects consisted of bridge rebuilds and rehabilitation, trail surface repair and re-ditching, debrushing, and maintenance of existing town trails and class 4 roads.
In total, over $70,000 dollars were spent throughout Orleans County to hire local construction companies and purchase lumber and hardware through local merchants.
A majority of the work completed was done by local hard-working volunteers in order to complete it the most cost-effective way possible.
The Orleans County Snowmobile Association is made up of the Country Riders Snowmobile Club in Jay, Craftsbury Snowmobile Club, Drift Dusters Snowmobile Club in Derby, Glover Trail Winders, Hazen’s Notch Snowmobile Club in Lowell, North Country Mountaineers in Coventry, and Orleans Snowstormers.
The members of the Orleans County Snowmobile Association are also members of the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers.
Snowmobiling contributes 500 million dollars to Vermont’s economy each year with much of that ending up in the Northeast Kingdom.
