About Foothills Foundation
Crafting a shared vision for recreational tourism in Northfield, Franklin, Tilton, and the surrounding areas of Merrimack and Belknap County.
Crafting a shared vision for recreational tourism in Northfield, Franklin, Tilton, and the surrounding areas of Merrimack and Belknap County.
The Foothills Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Northfield whose mission is to promote outdoor recreation and economic expansion through community partnerships.
The Foothills Foundation’s vision is to expand outdoor recreation opportunities, connect existing trails, and make Northfield, Tilton, Franklin, and the surrounding areas of Belknap and Merrimack County a recreation and mountain biking destination. Trails, services, and amenities will serve existing residents, make the region a more attractive place to live, and develop the region’s economy. At the core of The Foothills Foundation’s approach is engaging the community and ensuring that the initiative aligns with community goals. Trails and recreation offerings will benefit the community and region and be sustainably implemented and effectively managed for the community and visitors to enjoy.
The Foothills Foundation is developed an Organizational Plan + Regional Recreation Analysis report that captures a snapshot of the existing recreation and tourism environment and communicates a shared community vision for outdoor recreation in the region.
This document focuses on identifying important needs and exploring organizational structures that will help deliver on these needs over time. The final plan document creates a framework for operations and collaboration for the Foothills Foundation and its many regional partners as they work towards developing the envisioned future recreation destination.
In March 2022, the planning team presented the final Organizational Plan + Regional Recreation Analysis to the steering committee. This plan provides a set of goals, objectives, and actions that help paint the overall strategic direction for the organization. It also includes a set of immediate next steps the organization can take to maintain momentum, build community consensus, and increase awareness of the organizations vision.
This project is guided by a steering committee of community liaisons that acts as a sounding board throughout the process. The steering committee includes members of local businesses, town government, and tourism professionals. There were recently two formal public engagement opportunities: an Outdoor Recreation Visioning Survey and a Community Recreation Summit.
Thank you to all who joined us at Highland Mountain Bike Park for the Community Recreation Summit. We had great attendance and great conversations with members of the community. The energy and enthusiasm towards recreational tourism in this area was palpable.
Thank you to everyone who completed the online Visioning Survey. We received over 80 responses and had around 50 attendees at the Community Recreation Summit.