Community work day held at French Falls

JAY — A community work day was held Monday morning at the French Falls Family Recreation Park.

Just before 8 a.m., Don LeClerc said The Knoll would be a priority. A lot of dead brush needs to be hauled away.

“Old Route 4 is blocked off now,” LeClerc said. “We’ve developed nature trails between there and the Whistle Stop. There’s three-quarters of a mile of new trail out there.”

While waiting for assignments to be made, Linda LeClerc walked along one loop of the River Walk Trail.

“It’s pretty in the summer, glorious in the fall,” she said.

Previously a schoolteacher, LeClerc hopes schools will make more use of it. Native-American history and the history of Jay were two subject areas she felt were ideal for the trail.

Mike Simoneau of Livermore said the town of Jay owns 10 acres by the ball fields and Androscoggin Land Trust owns about 20 more acres in the French Falls area.

Simoneau, LeClerc and Randy Easter have been working to improve the area.

A new nature trail is going in that may be accessed behind Yanni’s Pizza. It has several granite features, Simoneau said.

The new trail has a granite box culvert that crosses Ludden Brook.

“There are three trails to choose from,” Simoneau said. “Having more than one maximizes the distance and provides alternative routes for visitors to enjoy.”

Shelly Kruszewski, conservation director for the Androscoggin Land Trust, joined Simoneau for a tour of the new trails.

“It’s great that Route 4 is right there and then you can get here,” Kruszewski said, standing on the trail with Yanni’s visible a short distance away. “I always see something new,” she said.

“It would be a blast on a mountain bike,” Simoneau said. “It’s a great resource for the town. It’s a labor of love.”

At another site, Jay Recreation Committee member Keith Cornelio was preparing a shed for painting. Dirt had to be moved away from the base of the walls, then he planned to use a wire brush before applying gray paint and a white trim.

“If we don’t do some work, we’ll lose what we have,” Cornelio said. “A lot of people are taking an interest in this. Volunteering is what the world is about.”

LeClerc said picnic tables would be put out at The Knoll, but now benches are being considered.

“We’d like to find someone to donate the materials,” LeClerc said.

The fishing is phenomenal along the River Walk Trail. Informational signs have been put up on some of the trees. In the winter, it’s a good place to snowshoe.

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