Sunlight streamed through the trees and gravel crunched underfoot as a small group of town officials gathered at the entrance of Allenstown’s new mile-long rail trail connecting to Hooksett.

After a year and a half of work clearing the trail, laying new ground material, and rebuilding three wooden bridges along the path, the town celebrated the trail’s opening on Monday afternoon. The former rail bed offers a wide, flat path through the trees for people looking to get a breath of fresh air.

“It provides a spot where our residents can go and walk and exercise and be outdoors, whether by themselves or with their children, without having to get in their car and drive up to Bear Brook State Park,” said chair of the Board of Selectmen Scott McDonald.

People can walk from downtown Suncook to the trailhead at the corner of Ferry St. and Canal St., with a parking lot off to one side. The path serves as a spot to stroll, run, bike, walk dogs, and connect with friends and family.

The trail’s completion stems from the Central New Hampshire Planning Commission’s efforts to support local communities in revitalizing outdoor spaces from old railroad tracks. Allenstown’s railroad bed once was part of the Suncook Valley Railroad and now fits into the Commission’s larger network of Suncook Valley Trails.

As more towns in the area transform their unused railroad beds into walking paths, certain trails end up joining together.

“It was sort of an informal partnership with the town of Hooksett,” McDonald said. “They did theirs. We were able to finish ours and connect. Hopefully in the near future maybe Pembroke can finish theirs and we can continue that up towards Concord. It’s nice to see that come to fruition.”

Mike Frascinella, who serves as the chair of the town’s Economic Development Committee, explained that Allenstown Aggregate donated the gravel and stone dust used to build the trail.

“To me, this is an excellent example of collaboration between business and government,” Frascinella said.

An anonymous donor supplied the town with timber to rebuild the trail’s bridges, which take pedestrians over drainage ditches, Frascinella added. The timber came from former telephone poles. He highlighted the importance of donations in bolstering the project and keeping costs low.

At the opening ceremony, chair of the Board of Selectmen Scott McDonald described the trail as a good place for exercise, quiet contemplation, and beautiful surroundings. He thanked Allenstown Aggregate, as well as the Highway Department, which took charge of the project.

“Remember all the stuff that’s happening in Allenstown. Forward-looking people are making that happen. It’s really nice to see the town changing that way,” McDonald said to the ceremony attendees.

McDonald emphasized that endeavors such as the rail trail result from continued collaboration.

“There’s a good cadre of people in town now – both in elected and hired positions – that want to see the town move forward,” McDonald said. “We’re starting to see it happen. For those of us who’ve lived here a long time and have watched our taxes go up and haven’t seen a big return or anything change. This is a big deal. The rail trail is just a small part of it.”

He cited the construction and opening of the Allenstown Community School and the move to 24/7 fire and emergency medical service coverage as two projects the town has recently undertaken. McDonald added that work on building a town shed will begin in the spring.

“It’s about making Allenstown a better place to live,” McDonald added.

Road Agent Chad Pelissier, who oversees the Highway Department, explained that when they began work on the rail trail around a year and a half ago, the railroad bed was overgrown and needed to be completely cleared.

“It was basically the woods,” Pelissier said. “We cut the brush. We cleaned up the surface that was there. We leveled the existing surface and brought in stone and geotextile fabric. We put the stone dust down as a surface.”

Pelissier said he and his wife walked the Hooksett rail trail all the time before the Allenstown trail opened. Now, he’s glad to have a nature spot closer by.

“I think it’s a great outlet for people that want to walk and enjoy just being outside of town,” Pelissier said. “We have a lot of people that walk the neighborhood. To be able to walk in the woods is just different. It’s a little bit more peaceful. I’m hoping the townsfolk enjoy it.”

The rail trail’s proximity to the apartments across the road at 25 Canal Street is another bonus, Pelissier added.

Frascinella, who has lived in Allenstown for nearly four decades, takes a particular interest in town history and explained that the rail trail holds historical relevance.

“Along the way they discovered a few interesting artifacts,” he said. “Part way down, I think on the left side, is the foundation for an old steam engine water tower. The train that used to run through here, right between Manchester and Concord, that was one of the stops where the steam engine filled up its tank with water.”

A newly painted sign, created by chair of the Old Allenstown Meeting House Committee Armand Verville and his wife, marks the start of the trail.

“It’ll give people, especially in the downtown area, a new recreational opportunity. They can walk or bike all the way to Hooksett,” Frascinella added.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@ cmonitor.com.