NORWAY – A growing reflection of community pride emerged Saturday morning from under layers of winter road sand and storm debris during the Norway Park and Recreation Department’s annual community spring cleanup at Lake Pennesseewassee Park.

In the first few hours of the breezy, blue-sky day, 15 volunteers of all ages swept sand off pavement, raked leaves, dead grass, pine needles and litter, and lugged and piled broken limbs.

“It’s always a family affair,” department Director Debra Partridge said of the crew. “It’s about people getting together and enjoying the outdoors, and it gives us a kick-start to the park for the summer.”

In the early 1970s, using federal money, Maine bought the 56-acre park along the western edge of 922-acre Pennesseewassee, also called Norway Lake, then, in 1998, transferred ownership to Norway.

“Since the park ownership came to the town, there’s been a lot of pride and responsibility in it. It’s just like owning a home,” Partridge added, taking a break from raking and organizing cleanup details.

Because the park was bought with federal funds, it is open to anyone, not just residents.

“What a park for this town to have,” Norway Kiwanis Club member and cleanup volunteer Ed Michaud said while searching for his crew of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School teens, whom he thought had left him behind to clean the playground area and volleyball and basketball courts.

Volunteers Thelma Denlinger and Jerry Ellingwood, both of Norway, said helping out was their way of giving back.

“I look at it this way: I enjoy the park and I love this lake, and if I want to keep this nice and free, I need to be here cleaning it up,” said Denlinger, who also scored the day’s first hand blister despite wearing gloves while raking.

Ellingwood, who had swept bare most of the park road at the boat-launch end by 10:30 a.m., said this was his second year volunteering.

“I didn’t even realize they did it before, but it’s all I do now to keep in shape, do volunteer work,” said Ellingwood, a retired 37-year career surveyor with the Maine Department of Transportation.

“Good job,” volunteer Liz Smith of Norway said.

“Isn’t it though? It’s so inviting,” Partridge replied, marveling at the extent of pavement cleaned by Ellingwood.

“And no blisters,” Ellingwood said, showing off gloves thicker than Denlinger’s.

Partridge said the department complements the volunteer work by contracting with the town for more spring and fall raking, and mowing.

This year’s major projects in the park include constructing a new parking lot; completing the nearly half-mile fitness trail, which was initially designed and planned one year by an Eagle Scout but never picked up and finished; and building a group picnic shelter.

With heavy summer use, parking is becoming an issue, more trails are needed, and there’s a need for group-oriented places.

“We get an immense crowd here during the summer, especially with four large day cares in the area who all come up by bus,” Partridge said. “Right now, I’m trying to find groups to take on the fitness trail, and I’m hoping the picnic shelter gets underway soon. My yearly line-item budget is only $3,000, but we’ve done a lot over the years through volunteers and funds raised through donations.”