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Snowmobilers, State at Odds Over Rail Corridor Trail

January 27, 2011 - WESTBROOK – All the snow in recent weeks should be a dream come true for local snowmobilers. Instead, they find themselves in a nightmarish battle with the state over the preservation of their trail running from Westbrook to Windham.


The Maine Department of Transportation knows it as the Mountain Division Rail Corridor, an important aspect of a $5 million bond voters passed in June touted as a job-creating measure.


But to members of the Westbrook Trail Blazes snowmobile club, not to mention the hikers, cross-country skiers, and others who utilize the trail, it is known as the railroad bed trail running from Pierce Street in Westbrook up to the Windham Correctional Center.


Snow conditions have been great this year, but Trail Blazes members fear the path could be closed in as short as a week’s time to make way for construction of rail lines the state hopes will ultimately run from Portland to Fryeburg.


“This will affect the community big time,” said Dan McCarthy, president of the Trail Blazes’ board of directors. “And it’s a big waste of taxpayers’ money.”
The group is miffed that recently there have been signs of activity along the trail unrelated to outdoor activities. The group learned, according to McCarthy, that work on the rail line that was not supposed to begin until spring is now getting under way.


“The timing is horrible,” he said. “They promised us that it would be in the spring.”
He added, “It’s mind-boggling.”


Anthony Latini, Trail Blazes trailmaster, said the trail connects to others in the city and serves as a hub between trails in Westbrook, Falmouth and Standish.
“This is it. This is the main hub,” he said, adding, “Losing this is going to devastate the whole system.”


Latini’s major concern is the group had a contract with the state through the winter season that would allow them to maintain and groom the trails for recreational use.


“They seem to be sneaking in on us to do the work they weren’t supposed to do until the spring time,” he said.


Nate Moulton, the Department of Transportation’s director of rail programs, disagreed.


“It’s nothing sneaky,” he said. “Folks were aware.”


According to Moulton, the state purchased the rail corridor – first established in the late 1800s – under the Railroad Preservation Act to preserve the lines for possible future use.


“If not for the rail, we didn’t have a right to acquire it or preserve it,” he said.
Moulton said the club asked permission to use the rail several years ago and the state agreed to temporarily permit usage that could be revoked at any time.
“Regardless of the agreement, that’s always the underlying criteria,” he said.
The schedule primary contractor Maine Track Maintenance Inc. submitted indicates construction could begin as soon as next week or the week after. Moulton said the state is working with the company to delay it as long as it does not impact the project’s cost.


“We’re cooperating on this to accommodate them if we can,” he said, noting the state is going “above and beyond” any requirements to please the trail’s recreational users.


McCarthy, though, said it appears things have become adversarial, saying, “We were working with them at one point and it’s gotten to the point where the tables have turned and they’re working against us.”


Latini questioned the benefit of re-establishing the rail line, saying the state does not now have enough money to complete the job. He called it a “train to nowhere” and a “shovel-ready job.”


According to Moulton, it is true the Legislature would ultimately seek another bond to expand the track in an effort to create jobs in western Maine. He said a rail line would be an asset for industrial businesses, including those dealing with fuel, heating oil, water, wood, pellets, gravel and more.


A copy of the proposed act authorizing a second bond issue to repair the rail line says the bond would cost $21 million.


He said this portion is the first step to rebuilding the line because “until you fill in this piece the rest of it is an island.”


He said this portion of rail would connect the system to the rail service located at the Sappi Fine Paper mill in Westbrook.


“You’ve got to make that connection first. It just makes sense,” he said.


Sue Joyce, Trail Blazes secretary, said what is most frustrating is not knowing when a train might actually use the rail.


“When are we even going to have trains coming through?” she asked, adding that she could see value in the work if any trains would use the rail by this fall or next year.


Joyce was a member of the City Council when the club was established in 2008. She said they did “amazing” work the city did not have the money or workers to accomplish otherwise.


“We worked so hard on those trails. It’s amazing what that group has done,” she said.


The Westbrook club was named the Maine Snowmobile Association’s Snowmobile Club of the Year in 2009.


The club is reaching out to elected officials for assistance on this matter. They have sent a letter to Gov. Paul LePage and contacted state Rep. Ann Peoples, D-Westbrook.


Peoples, who serves on the House Transportation Committee, said she has looked closely at the issue and believes the rails could serve a real economic benefit. If fully connected, rails could run to Canada and have a favorable impact on the cost of shipping goods, given the rising price of gas.


“The justification for the line is real,” she said. “It’s not a ‘bridge to nowhere,’ though I can understand why people would think that.”


Peoples said she understands the frustration of those who use the trail. Her goal, she said, is to see a trail run parallel with the lines so they could continue to enjoy it.

“I will do everything I can to make sure that succeeds,” she said.

Joey Cresta, Keep Maine Current, January 2011


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