Bookmark & share:

E-mail this page E-mail a letter to the editor Reader Comments (below)

By MECHELE COOPER
Staff Writer 10/01/2007

enlarge Staff photos by Joe Phelan

FOLLOW THE LIGHT: The Kennebec River Rail Trail goes under two bridges near the where it ends in the Hannaford parking lot in Gardiner. The 6.5-mile-long pathway hugs its watery and steel namesakes through four communities — from the waterfront park in downtown Augusta south to Gardiner.To see a slideshow, click here.

enlarge Graphic by Sharon Wood

Rail Trail Map

Today's Top Headlines
from the Kennebec Journal

As transmission line project plans proceed, property owners ponder offers and safety concerns
Boat dealers see a strong season
Call-center industry sees good fit in Maine
Island life gets more difficult As costs keep rising, frugality becomes an an imperative
AUGUSTA: KVCC graduates get accolades, advice
AUGUSTA: Woman wants graffiti gone
Vachon more than simply the wins
End of an Era: After 7 state titles, Vachon steps down

All of today's: News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal

Today's Top Headlines
from the Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE: Women advised to reduce stress
Call-center industry seen as good match with Maine work ethic
Boat dealers see bright side despite rising fuel prices
Police chase reaches 110 mph
KVCC Rite of passage, indeed
Not too far from that madding crowd
End of an Era: After 7 state titles, Vachon steps down
Coach more than wins and losses

All of today's: News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel

Breath-taking views of the river.

Eagles and ospreys preying on fish. Sturgeons leaping into the air.

Historical sites where ice-harvesting houses and lumber mills once stood.

People engaging in conversation, saying hello to their neighbors and making new friends.

You get it all along the 6.5-mile-long pathway, which hugs its watery and steel namesakes through four communities -- from the waterfront park in downtown Augusta south to Gardiner.

Seventeen years in the making, the trail is finally finished. Folks will be able to walk, jog, run or pedal its length beginning Thursday.

'THIS CAN BE DONE'

Completion of the $4.4 million trail has been a long time coming.

Walter "Andy" Hendrickson, a retired Department of Transportation civil engineer and Farmingdale resident, helped with the design.

In fact, it was Hendrickson and Lional Cayer, Augusta's city engineer, who walked along the railroad tracks in the beginning and said, 'Yes. This can be done.'

"It was the city of Augusta that had the original idea," Hendrickson said. "Lional took over the project, then he and I really got into this thing and got the four towns to sign the application for federal money along with the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

"I had retired from Maine DOT as a designer and had been out to Seattle and around and seen bicycle trails. It was a no-brainer to use the railroad right-of-way."

Initially, the three other communities fought construction of the trail. Much of the resistance to the project had to do with safety, he said, as the trail ran parallel to railroad tracks.

"It was very discouraging," he said of the opposition. "Then Jane Lincoln (former state deputy transportation commissioner) got involved and she went to all the planning meetings and was very enthusiastic about the trail. She said, 'let's at least get the first piece of the trail done.' People around here didn't really know what a trail was all about. Now people are driving the contractors nuts to use the final phase."

A RIVER RENEWED

Tom Reeves of Gardiner, who serves on the Friends of the Kennebec River Rail Trail's board of directors, said the trail was the first of its kind to be built in the state, so it was a learning experience for everyone involved.

"I don't know of any other project in which the municipalities -- Augusta, Hallowell, Farmingdale and Gardiner -- have all joined in to do something together," Reeves said.

"It was an interesting experiment in soft regionalism. As a result, it's taken awhile for it to fully mature."

Last century, he said, people were repelled by the river. It was putrid and ugly, used for logging drives and industrial purposes. For more than 100 years, waste was dumped into the water from paper mills.

With the removal of Edwards Dam, the river's vigor has been renewed. Its waters flow more freely and cleaner than they have in generations.

The rejuvenation has drawn people to rediscover the natural qualities of the river, its historic sites, stretches of undisturbed shoreland and tidal link to the ocean. The trail has allowed large numbers to access this resource as they've never experienced it before, he said.

"It also allows people to socialize more," he said. "People are outside along a beautiful setting just having a good time and meeting their friends and neighbors. That's a wonderful experience. We don't have many places like that."

A REGIONAL ASSET

Augusta City Manager William Bridgeo, who jogs on the trail during breaks from work, said the trail is a natural fit with the city's strong emphasis on redeveloping its downtown area and riverfront.

"It's just a wonderful example of what a group of communities and the state can do when they put their hearts in it," Bridgeo said.

Jeff Kobrock, city manager for Gardiner, said the rail trail is a wonderful addition to the city's downtown revitalization efforts. He said the rail trail may eventually link with a hiking trail the city plans to create on the opposite side of Cobbossee Stream.

"It's in the design phase to construct a direct linkage to the rail trail in Gardiner over a spectacular railroad trestle and up into some really spectacular property right there in the middle of Gardiner," Kobrock said.

The trail is a beautiful regional asset, said Peggy Duval, project manager for DOT. She said it contributes to the quality of life in all four communities and draws people to the area.

It's one of the nicest in the state with spectacular views of the river, the capital and Hallowell, she said. Eventually, it will become a destination for out-of-staters as well as Mainers.

"There is excitement about the trail being open for use," Duval said. "I have received numerous phone calls from folks who work in the capital district and are hoping to use the trail to commute to work. The department anticipates that it will be one of the most heavily used trails in the state and provide connectivity to a number of neighborhoods along the river."

ON THE TRAIL

Alan Stearns, deputy director of the state Bureau of Parks and Lands, recently walked the trail with Jeff Miller, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

Miller parked his bike and joined Stearns on the finished portion of the trail in Farmingdale.

Stearns skipped over a baby garden snake that slithered across the paved path, another example of wildlife seen on the trail. The banks of the river are a natural habitat for fox and deer.

"You could be 100 miles from nowhere," Stearns said pointing to an opening in the trees where you could see the other side of the river. "Look over there at Chelsea's riverbank. It's beautiful. You can stand on the trail and see the river at different times of the year. Ironically, the history of the river and the rail line led to one of the most beautiful natural landscapes."

Miller said people want to connect with nature and be outdoors and explore. Eventually, he would like to see the trail extended to Richmond.

"The trail is a significant piece in the over-all picture of quality of life," he said. "A place like this that's used and enjoyed year-round is the most important type of park there is. It has the broadest appeal."

EVERYDAY USERS

Ed Hanscom can attest to that quality of life.

He's been commuting to work on his bicycle since 1980, long before the conception of a rail trail.

He used to pedal from his home in Gardiner to Augusta along U.S. Route 201 -- a scary, unsafe corridor without bike lanes or paved shoulders.

Now, the 52-year-old Hanscom says he's looking forward to taking that commute on the recently completed rail trail.

Many of the other trail users either walk early in the morning or, like Dawn Meulendyk of Manchester, in the evening after work. She starts at the trailhead in Augusta and walks to Hallowell, then back again. That segment of the trail allows walkers and cyclists views of the east side of Augusta and the Old Arsenal building across the river.

Meulendyke, who works at a dentist's office in Augusta, said the trail is bringing people in the community together.

"It's an incredible asset to the four communities it connects," she said. "And it brings the river closer to the rest of us so we appreciate it better."

David Pied, 30, of Gardiner, works in Augusta at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. His office is conveniently located near the rail trail.

He walks during lunch hour and sometimes takes a stroll along the Gardiner end with his son and dogs.

"It doesn't matter what level of fitness you do," he said. "Walking is a great thing to do. Start out slow. And the rail trail is a great place to do it because it's fairly flat. You can go for a walk and turn around and head back. If you're more use to exercising and have a bike you can go to the different towns."

Phillip Lindley, Hallowell city councilor, walks his two dogs on the trail. "We get to see a lot of people," Lindley said. "Everybody's pretty darn friendly."

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com

Bookmark and share this story: