Meeting in Greenville scheduled for Sept. 11 on non-motorized trails

    AUGUSTA — The Maine Division of Parks and Public Lands will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Sept.11 to seek public input on a multi-year initiative to enhance non-motorized trails in the Moosehead Lake region.

  The meeting on Sept. 11 takes place at the Greenville town office from 6-8 p.m. The public is invited to participate in this meeting, learn about planning that has been done to date and share ideas.
    The trail development and enhancement concepts being explored are made possible by funding and easement donations from Plum Creek, who is a partner in the initiative.
    As directed by the Moosehead Lake Region Concept Plan (approved by the Maine Land Use Planning Commission), 121 acres of trail easement may be located on Plum Creek’s 363,000-acre Moosehead Region Conservation Easement. Furthermore, $1 million will be available to support trail planning, creation and improvement on the easement lands and on Parks and Lands properties or interests in the Moosehead Lake Region.
    “We do have a significant number of tourists looking for non-motorized recreation venues,” said Greenville Town Manager John Simko. “But most of them are north of Kokadjo, so you have to be prepared for an hour trip to get there and some of the roads aren’t that good.”
    Simko said that families often look for a “soft adventure” for those who aren’t used to hiking or senior citizens who want less strenuous exercise. “So it would be great to have some kind of walking path that would be easy to reach from town,” Simko said.
    He noted that the town still owns property near the old landfill by Sawyer Pond “with a beautiful view of the water” and acreage off Brochu Road that goes through the industrial park to the back of Squaw Mountain would make good hiking trails. “These are the type of things that I assume will be discussed at the meeting. I’m looking forward to it,” Simko said.
    Five trailhead locations will also be donated to the Division of Parks and Public Lands and trail enhancements will be implemented over a five-year period, with construction beginning in 2014.