READFIELD — A trail connecting schools to miles of trails was dedicated on Saturday morning, capping years of effort to improve linkages between vital parts of the town.

Officials from town government and Regional School Unit 38 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new trail link finished recently that begins at Superintendent Donna Wolfrom’s office on Millard Harrison Drive and connects with existing trails on the Readfield Fairgrounds that run to Church Road.

From there, it’s a short walk to the village at Readfield Corner, where a sidewalk can take you all the way back to the school complex. That 1.3-mile sidewalk was finished in 2012, after years of planning.

Now there’s a more scenic way to get to the village. The trail beginning at the school snakes up a hill with a panoramic view of Maranacook Lake, and it offers loops up to around 2 miles in length, ending back at the superintendent’s office.

“We think it’s very valuable,” said Milt Wright, chairman of the Readfield Trails Committee, “because people can go from the school system down to the center of town or they can go other places in the community now connected by trails.”

The new trail link was funded with a $29,000 federal grant administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. But organizers said the town trail committee has kicked in 350 hours of volunteer work — including tractor work and manual labor — to improve the trail system over the last two years and to help finish the last link.

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The result is an accessible, packed-gravel trail that handles rough weather well. On Saturday, after five days of rain, it was dry and compact.

“People like me love to go walk off in the woods and all of that, but a lot of people need something more comforting and established,” said Jerry Bley, a member of the Readfield Conservation Committee.

Locals already have used the trail for walking, biking and jogging, and it’s expected to be used plenty by RSU 38, the district that also includes Mount Vernon, Wayne and Manchester. The Maranacook middle and high schools are nearby, and cross country teams already have used the trail for training.

Wolfrom said she hopes the trail can be used as a teaching element, with students also playing a role in helping manage the trail network through community service initiatives.

“One of our goals is to have our schools be welcoming to the entire school community as welcome centers,” Wolfrom said. “This is part of fulfilling that goal.”

Michael Shepherd — 370-7652

mshepherd@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @mikeshepherdme


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