Black Woods Byway Corridor Management Committee Meeting
Downeast RC&D
2/24/2009
Minutes

Attending: Gary Edwards, Judy East, Jim Fisher, Gregg Burr, Ashby Bladen, Charlie Hitchings, Kathy Winham, Peter Winham, Rex Turner

Byway Extension

• Jim described the proposal
• Passed around Franklin article
• Cherryfield approved

Signage

• Tideway
• Route 1 / 1A junction in Harrington
• Route 1 / Route 182
• Railroad Crossings

Contact MapQuest, Delorme, Google Earth, GPS providers

• Update maps with extended byway
• Lat/Lon or UTM coordinates for trails, points of interest,
• Bureau of Parks and Lands – is working on updated paper and web based maps
• Publishing new maps in the next few weeks
• Looking into GPS points to put on the maps

Geotoursim

Points of interest
Geocaching signs
Brochure for the byway

• Distribution at B&Bs, inns, town office
• Friends of Tunk – Public Kiosk

Historical question

Funding

Economic Stimulus Funds

• IFW – surveyed for a sites at Spring River Lake and Long Pond
• Long Pond - Planning to break ground in the fall
• Construction planned – count this as matching funds?
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• Spring River Lake – break ground in 2010
• Tunk Lake – complete parking area

Recreational Trail Funding

• Rex – want to focus on trail planning right
• Budgeting opportunities have passed at DOC
• Recreational Trails – motorized, non-motorized, mixed
• Regular budget – also too tight to fund this year
• Two strategies
• Shorter, less formal trails that are not maintained by BP&L
• More substantial trails – part of a planning process
• Want to create connecting trails from Tunk Lake up to Catherine’s Hill
• Ashby – Trail on public lands from Tunk to Catherine’s would stand on its own
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• Charlie – what about some of the shorter trails, do these need to wait?
• Round Mountain – might be able to flag out the trail sooner
• A trail on public lands is problematic – need to create a new trail

Quimby Family Foundation

• Applying for $30,000 for trail planning and construction
• Not funded twice before – so this is a challenge
• Needed to match federal funds

National Scenic Byways

• Planning and Administration
• Trail Head Planning
• Matching funds
• Sunrise Trail - $8,000
• Scenic Viewshed Identification Grant – federal or state?
• Other conservation work – stumpage?
• BP&L Parking area for Round Pond – federal to state – Contact George Powell at DOC

IF&W considered stocking Little Pond – not going to be stocked due to opposition

Highway Improvements

• Shoulder paving
• Mountain bikes, horses
• Connecting off road routes
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• Pull-off or passing lanes
• Signed
• Places to get out of the way
• Pull off  areas that are plowed for winter recreation
• Plowing around the ponds

Creating a Four Season Economy

• Winter recreation
• Historic House Tour
• 100 people participated last year
• Opening up private homes
• Historic Society – needs more local participation
• DERC&D – is working with schools to learn more about historical assets
• Funding to hire work study students
• Document history – include in lesson plans
• Accessions, town records, moving documents online

Scenic Resources Inventory

• Continuing the scenic inventory through Hancock and Washington County
• Need local volunteer committees

Additional Trail discussion

• Rex – raised the idea of creating new single track mountain biking trails
• Some trails in the eco-reserves are

Road Signs

• Needs turnout ahead signs
• Spring River Lake
• Tunk  Turnouts
• Dynamite Brook Road
• Long Pont (once built)

Announcements

• Gary – workshops for small businesses