NORWAY – The Oxford Hills Trails Committee is working to create a linked network of passageways through town that would include not just traditional footpaths, but a waterway for kayaks and canoeists.
Ken Morse of the committee said he would like to clean Pennesseewassee Stream to make a quiet channel for boaters. The creek wends its way downtown behind Main Street buildings and through tall, golden reeds.
“It’s really pretty here,” Morse said, overlooking an open stretch of the stream near Greenleaf Avenue. “You can see lots of birds – herons, ducks and waterfowl.”
Originally, there was talk to build a trail alongside a good length of the stream, but the Maine Department of Environmental Protection told the committee most of the land was too wet, Morse said.
Instead, the committee focused on opening up the stream for people traveling by water rather than land. The portion to be worked on would start at a boat landing behind the Odd Fellows building and end at Aubuchon Hardware on Route 26, or Lower Main Street. For the serious boater, the brook can be followed to Little Androscoggin River.
At the same time, though, the committee is planning to build a short trail along the western part of the stream – which is drier – from the upper dam to the Opera House. The path ideally would culminate at a footbridge and small park that have not yet been developed, Morse said.
The committee is waiting for the DEP to authorize a permit for the stream work. By spring, student volunteers will begin cleaning up litter and removing fallen trees blocking the stream, Morse said.
Morse also said he has just completed an application for a $30,000 grant from the Maine Department of Conservation’s recreational trails program. This money would help establish a 2.7-mile trail around the proposed technology park. Western Maine Office Technology Park is an EnterpriseMaine project to be built on Roberts Road.
The trail will cost about $42,000, Morse said, requiring the committee to round up additional funds. The path will include a 500-foot handicap-accessible stretch leading to an overlook with views over Pennesseewassee Lake.
The grant’s status will be known by February or March, Morse predicted. If approved, Morse said Maine Conservation Corps will organize volunteers to build the trail. Part of the grant would be used to cover the workers’ stipends and housing, according to Morse.
The technology park trail will join several other trails around town, which can be glimpsed on a new map recently developed by the trail committee. The maps are available at the town office on Danforth Street and the Sun Journal office on Main Street in Norway.
“Everyone identifies with trails,” Morse said recently. “There’s a lot of magic to them,” he added.
While some people like to go on arduous hikes in remote wilderness, there are others who appreciate simply stepping outside for a short time.
“Some people like to just get out and look at trees and plants,” Morse said.
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