News & Events

Kennebec Messalonskee Trail Blazer Newsletter

Summer 2008 Issue
Stories: Waterville Quarry Road Recreational Project, Adventure Abounds, Clean It Up, What is KMTrails All About?

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Fall 2007 Issue
Stories: Messalonskee Stream Trail, Phase 2; KMTrails Hires its first Executive Director; New Thomas College Trail; Discovering Our Trail System.

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Summer 2007 Issue
Stories: Messalonskee Stream Trail is open; National Trails Day; How we Build Trails; KMTrails honoree by Mid-Maine Chamber.

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Spring 2006 Issue
Stories: Messalonskee Trails Development in Oakland; Trails and Landowner Liability; National Trails Day; Health and Trails.

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Fall 2005 Issue
Stories: Head of Falls, the Future Hub of KMTrails; Rotary Centennial Trail Completed; Partnering as a Way of Life; A Short History.

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Spring 2004 Issue
Stories: National Trails Day; Benton-Winslow Trail; North Street Trail; Why Trails?

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KMTrails hires Don Sproul as its first Executive Director!

Don fits the bill perfectly. He has been working with non-profits for years. His goal is to fully involve the Board of Directors and the public in the development of our trail network and to further the use of the trails by the entire community. He brings a wealth of experience in fundraising, grant writing, and a great personal interest in projects that benefit people.

Winslow Trail planned from Head of Falls to the Town Office

A new trail route, scheduled for construction in 2008, will go from the Two-Cent Bridge around the Winslow Town Park to Benton Avenue. Despite the difficulty of the terrain, it will be wheelchair accessible. Railroad rails at the bridge entrance will be shimmed to allow for bike access. This trail will connect Winslow residents who live between the rivers with downtown Waterville across the historic Two-Cent bridge. It will also connect Waterville residents with the network of trails being planned around the Winslow Recreational Fields behind the schools.

Quarry Road will become a Trail

Quarry Road used to serve purposes that are now long gone. It once led to the Waterville Rock Quarry where, apart from rocks, the only fossils in Central Maine were found. It was used as an alternative route to Main Street when the hill was too icy for winter traffic, and it once led to the Colby Ski Slope before that memorable facility was abandoned several decades ago.

Since those times it has fallen into disrepair and is now impassable. Soon it will be restored and renovated as a bicycle and pedestrian trail. The trail will lead to a 100-acre parcel that Colby College is generously donating to the City as part of a land swap. It will also include winding trails through the woods, and a planned cross-country ski route if all goes according to plan.

The first application for funding of the renovation of Quarry Road has been submitted to the Maine Department of Conservation's Recreational Trails Fund. Construction could begin as soon as the summer of 2008. Later there will be more fundraising and more construction as different portions of the planned trail system becomes a reality. Eventually it will connect with the Messalonskee Stream Trail in Oakland.

KMTrails Named Community Service Project of the Year!

The Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce honored Kennebec Messalonskee Trails with the Community Service Project of the Year Award at the 44th Annual Awards Dinner on April 25, 2007 at John Martin's Manor. Read more in the online version of the Morning Sentinel.