CBTA Celebrates $10,000 Grant from Rails to Trails Conservancy

We are over the moon to share the news that Casco Bay Trail Alliance has been awarded $10,000 from Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC), a national organization that has supported more than 42,000 miles of multiuse trails nationwide since 1986. 

This generous gift will help pay for a preliminary engineering study of the Portland to Yarmouth segment of Casco Bay Trail. The Casco Bay Trail Alliance will contribute $12,000 of the total $60,000 local match for the project, and the $10,000 RTC award will help fund our contribution! 

Portland, Falmouth, and Yarmouth have also agreed to contribute $12,000 toward the local match. 

Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Trail Grants program invests in building, activating, and advocating for essential trail network infrastructure that make trail access a reality for more people, in more places across the country. Since 2008, RTC has distrubted more than $4.5 million to more than 310 organizations via 480+ grants. 

Thank you, RTC, for your support! See all grant winners here.

---

News from the Field

Freeport: Last week, the Freeport Town Council approved a plan that includes village traffic calming and protected lanes for cyclists and walkers from Route 1 into the village. New bike paths parallel to Route 1 that connect to the village and schools will also create traffic-free spaces for riders and walkers. 

These steps are key for creating a corridor for the Freeport to Yarmouth portion of the Casco Bay Trail, where there is no rail line. Thank you to Town Trail Builder Kim True for her contributions to this effort!

Lewiston/Auburn: Two of our amazing Town Trail Builders have joined the board of the Lewiston Auburn Railroad Committee, putting us in a great place to stay informed about negotiations with CSX regarding the corridor in Lewiston and Lisbon—important for future links to Brunswick and beyond. Thank you, Joe Pelliccia and Alex Pine! 

Learn more about our dedicated Town Trail Builder crew here.

---

Portland and North Yarmouth Approve Interlocal Agreement, Portland Approves Local Match

More exciting progress! Last night, the city of Portland and the town of North Yarmouth both approved signing the Casco Bay Trail Board of Supervisors Interlocal Agreement. 

That means six municipalities are now part of a new regional advisory group that will help plan the trail—from north to south: Auburn, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Falmouth, and Portland. 

Portland took another big step forward by supporting a resolution to provide a $12,000 local match to the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) for an engineering study of the Portland-to-Yarmouth portion of the trail. 

We couldn’t be more pleased about these advances. Thank you to everyone who has spoken up for the trail in their city or town!

---

New Gloucester and Falmouth Sign, Establishing Regional Board

June 1 brought a double dose of good news, as the towns of New Gloucester and Falmouth both approved the Casco Bay Trail Board of Supervisors Interlocal Agreement at their respective meetings.

They join Auburn and Yarmouth, officially creating a regional advisory group to collaboratively address plans and decisions about the Casco Bay Trail. A minimum of three towns was required to officially form this group—and now we have four! 

We’re thrilled to see support and excitement build along the corridor from Portland to Auburn.  

---

Yarmouth Signs Interlocal Agreement

On May 21, the Yarmouth Town Council helped the Trail take another step forward with a unanimous vote to sign the Casco Bay Trail Board of Supervisors Interlocal Agreement. The agreement creates a group of representatives from each town along the proposed route to help with planning and decision making as progress continues.

The interlocal agreement gives towns a voice in regional planning and creates an entity that can receive government grants and private donations for the Trail.

---