RUMFORD – Some real, hands-on work is about to start on the development of a riverfront park.

For more than two years, the River Park Planning Committee, with the help of a couple of consulting firms, have been gauging the possibility of restoring at least a portion of the Chisholm Park that once stretched from Morse Bridge to just beyond the Eagles Hall along the Androscoggin River.

Phase I of the current project calls for a 1,700-foot walking trail from Morse Bridge to Rumford Public Library. Future phases may extend farther.

Linda Macgregor, chairwoman of the River Park Planning Committee, said the committee, along with members of a youth group from the Rotary Club, known as Interact, will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday to make plans for marking the trail.

Then on Friday, the florescent ribbons will begin appearing on a 10-foot wide swath of trees and brush along the hoped-for trail. Much of the new trail will follow the path of the foot trail that once wound its way along the riverbank.

Next week, the sidewalk crew of Rumford Public Works will begin cutting brush of less than 1-inch in diameter, and removing tree limbs along the proposed path.

“We’re excited to actually be doing something,” Macgregor said.

Little more than limb removal and brush cutting can be done until the proper Maine Department of Environmental Protection permits are in place, she said.

Costs estimates for the DEP permitting process, as well as any other planning costs, will be compiled by DeWan Associates, a landscaping consulting firm from Yarmouth and presented to the committee within the next few days.

From there, Macgregor will apply for grant money to help pay for planning the park. The actual construction of the park and trail is expected to cost around $250,000. A search for that money, too, is currently under way.

The once-popular Chisholm Park became overgrown or disappeared several decades ago because of a lack of care and the changing needs of the community.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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