Maine Public
Coalition of outdoor groups, businesses and towns call for $30M bond to repair, expand Maine trails.
A coalition of than 500 outdoor organizations, businesses and municipalities is calling on Maine lawmakers to send a $30 million bond to voters this Fall.
The funds would be managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands and dispersed over four years to organizations and towns for motorized, non-motorized and multi-use trail projects.
Supporters say the money is urgently needed after recent storms and floods caused severe trail damage around the state. Al Swett of the Maine Snowmobile Association cites a gaping hole in a major snowmobiling thoroughfare between Jay, Wilton and Farmington that was caused by a major washout last Spring.
"And we haven't got to it yet because it's just too expensive to fix. Right now, we don't have the money to fix it and they're estimating like $800-thousand. It's 40-feet deep and 200-feet long."