With the much increased use of the Chatham section, TRTC, numerous users and some nearby property owners have contacted NCDOT and staff from Cary to express their concerns about the dangers at trail crossings and for users parking and unparking cars near these crossings. In an effort to provide safe and effective at-grade crossings along the trail, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and the Town of Cary Town Council have passed resolutions asking NCDOT to perform in-depth safety evaluations of each crossing in Wake and Chatham.

Please pay particular care and attention when crossing O'Kelly Chapel Road, particularly if you have children, dogs or horses. Due to the speed of traffic and the limited sight lines, O'Kelly Chapel is arguably the most dangerous road crossing along the trail.

On February 28, over 20 members of the Psi Upsilon fraternity at Duke University came out for a second pass at removing the old appliances and trash from the woods adjacent to the new Phase E section of the ATT near Massey Chapel Road. Their initial ATT workday on January 24th produced a similar haul. We estimate that the group's efforts have removed about 90% of the trash from this area. The attached image shows the group and the latest pile. We also want to thank the Impact Team from the City of Durham who efficiently pick up these large hauls to keep the roadside looking nice.

After several years of preparation, Carol Thomson has now posted her documentary on the history of the American Tobacco Trail. A formal presentation of the documentary is scheduled for 7-8pm on March 24th, at the Durham Arts Council theater. The recent release includes a historical slide show and a video of tobacco production in Durham and videos of the Apex Street bridge removal, the role of equestrian efforts in western Wake County and a short clip on Norfolk Southern use of the corridor, Jordan Lake's construction and the New Hope Valley Railroad, showing how all relate to the trail's history and development. [A video on the newly completed Chatham section was added in late March 2010]

North Carolina Rail-Trails (NCRT), a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) North Carolina corporation, seeks an Executive Director, who will be responsible for leadership, development and management of all NCRT programs and activities. The position will be the first staff position for NCRT, founded in 1989, which has until this time been an all-volunteer organization. The ideal candidate will be a service-oriented manager with successful experience in fundraising, advocacy, and board management and development. If you would like more information on the requirements, responsibilities and compensation of this position, please see the the full position description on the NC Rail-Trails site.

On December 12th, 14 students from Green Hope High School came out to help us clean-up a large collection of discarded household appliances and other trash near the crossing of Massey Chapel Road and the ATT. Much of this was in the nearby woods and required much pushing and dragging to get it to the road. Thanks to all who helped.

As the year closes out, please take a minute to look at our 2009 Report.