JAY — Selectmen unanimously voted Monday for the town to become a co-applicant with the Androscoggin Land Trust in a proposal that could conserve nearly 1,300 acres in Franklin and Oxford counties.

It is part of an effort to continue to connect multi-use trails around the region, enhance recreational opportunities and bring more visitors into Maine towns.

According to the resolution selectmen agreed to sign Monday, Jay would partner with the Land for Maine’s Future program for funding of the Androscoggin Greenway Project. This project would permanently conserve land in the towns of Jay and Canton through Vero Paper’s sale and donation of fee title and a conservation easement on multiple parcels to the Androscoggin Land Trust and the donation by Verso Paper of the French Falls parcel to Jay, the resolution states.

The Androscoggin Land Trust is looking to conserve land in Jay and Canton and to do that through Land for Maine’s Future, Jonathan LaBonte, executive director of the Land Trust, said.

The Maine Legislature created the Land for Maine’s Future Program to secure “the traditional Maine heritage of public access to Maine’s land and water resources or continued quality and availability of natural resources important to the interests and continued heritage of Maine people,” according to its website.

The concept behind Land for Maine’s Future Program, which is supported through state bond money, is to permanently protect lands that have exceptional recreational or ecological value along with working lands for farms, forests, tourism, and working waterfronts, the website states.

In order to receive funds from the program, every dollar you want to get, you need to match it with a $1, LaBonte said.

The program’s most recent bond was for $6 million and the current state administration has said there will be no more bonds, he said.

In addition, the resolution selectmen signed states the acquisition of a former rail line to extend the multi-use Whistle-Stop Trail along the Androscoggin River and the planned donation to the Land Trust of a trail easement to provide water access and a portage trail around the Otis Dam are included in the project. The trail currently runs from Jay to Farmington.

For every $1 value in French Falls property that will be used as leverage, the Land Trust can look for a $1 in state grant funds, LaBonte said.

If the program provides funds, there would be some restrictions put on the portion of land leveraged, which includes no development, he said. Development of public trails is allowed, he said.

Of the 30 acres, the current ball field, ice skating rink and basketball court would be excluded from the leveraged portion for matching dollars, LaBonte said.

It could work out that only a third of the property could be used to gain state money, he said.

The Androscoggin Land Trust would pay for an appraisal of the property, he said.

If selectmen didn’t agree to become a co-applicant or if the grant applications is not approved, Chuck Kraske, who works for Verso Paper, said the company would continue to work on donating French Falls to Jay.

It has been a long-term goal of the town’s to have that property turned over to the town, Town Manager Ruth Cushman said.

By signing the resolution and authorizing Cushman to sign a letter of intent, does not commit the town to anything, LaBonte said.

The town may withdraw from the project at any time.

Selectman Tom Goding used an analogy of the town agreeing to date, not to marry into the project, by approving the resolution.

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