A project three years in the making took a bow Tuesday night when the eighth-grade students of Warsaw Middle School in Pittsfield unveiled a kiosk on the former town farm site that celebrates the history and ecological value of the property.

The project began with the seventh- and eighth-grade classes in the 2013-14 school year, who visited the Kennebec Messalonskee Trails in Waterville and Oakland in order to find out what it takes to develop and maintain trails, as well as study the ecology of the trails. The project is part of the school’s expedition learning curricululm, which encourages hands-on learning through a focuses topic and it was part of a collaboration with the town of Pittsfield, which was looking for a use for 190 acres of heavily wooded land bordering the Sebasticook River off Peltoma Avenue.

The project proposal by that group, which included the trailhead where the kiosk is, was approved by the Town Council after the April 2014 visit to Waterville. The expedition by this year’s group, the Pioneers of Peltoma, is “a continuation of their work and success,” the Eighth Grade Student PR Team said in a news release.

The town-owned property was cleared of trees, and the students’ research is helping form the plan for trails and other uses of the site, officials have said.

The kiosk, which is at the Driftbusters snowmobile club on Peltoma Avenue, highlights “a number of the vast environmental and historical values of this property,” said in the release from the PR team, led by Kylie Woodman . “Peltoma Woods is a unique treasure in Pittsfield. Our expedition will create a landmark to promote the multiple uses of this property for generations to come.”

She said another purpose of the trails is that they “will improve the health and well-being of the greater Pittsfield community.”

“This kiosk will inspire the community to collaborate toward reaching the property’s fullest potential through good stewardship,” the news release said. “We hope to see this property used and enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.”

The construction of the kiosk was made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EMHS and the Partnership to Improve Community Health.

This story has been corrected.


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