Eastern Trail
News

++ ET Contract awarded to Extend ET South from Scarborough Marsh
++ ETA's Enhanced Annual Maine Ride Lighthouse Saturday 13 September
++ Turnpike Crossing Design Contract Close to Award
++ Rebuilding the Eastern Trail Alliance
++ NiSource announces planned sale of GSGT to Unitil
++ Outings and more

ET Contract awarded to Extend ET South from Scarborough Marsh
Work on a new 1.6-mile section of the Eastern Trail in Scarborough and Old Orchard Beach will begin in April, with completion scheduled by July 1, 2008, according to Larry Cilley, Executive Director of the Eastern Trail Management District. A.H. Grover, Inc., of Yarmouth, will perform trail construction as the successful bidder in a field of 15 companies. Funding for the project was awarded through the Maine Department of Transportation's Transportation Enhancement program.

ETA's New & Enhanced Annual Maine Ride Lighthouse Saturday 13 September
For 2008 Before rides - Indoor registration & restrooms. After rides - Hot showers & a Cookout. Facilities Coordinator for Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) Sharon Bernier, is helping ETA make this year's ride the best ever Maine Lighthouse Ride (formerly the 8 Lighthouse Ride.)

Spring Point Light is surrounded on land by ride host SMCC. An optional lighthouse tour is planned. Four distances will be offered: a century, a 40-mile ride, a 25-mile ride and for young families, a 10-mile round trip ride on the South Portland Greenbelt.

We urge ETA volunteers to ride or, even better, volunteer to support BCM's July Maine Lobster Ride. See http://www.bikemaine.org/lobsterride/index.html

Turnpike Crossing Design Contract Close to Award
ETMD is close to awarding a design engineering contact to HNTB, the Maine Turnpike Authority's engineering firm, for the section of the Eastern Trail from Rt. 35 in West Kennebunk to Rt. 111 near Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford. We hope to celebrate opening this 6.1-mile section in late 2010 including a new bridge over the Maine Turnpike.

For more ET construction news see ETMD's spring newsletter at: http://www.easterntrail.org/etmd/ETMDNewsletterSpring2008.pdf

Rebuilding ETA
As ETA has grown and more and more of you have joined, Trustees realize it's time for change. Maine Land Trust Network describes the non-profit life cycle in its Winter 2008 newsletter. "Land trusts often fall into one of three stages: (1) Volunteer-based. (2) the 'Leap' (hiring the first staff) or (3) Shared governance. In the third stage, the board's primary role involves fundraising and governance planning, goal-setting?. and supervising the executive director"

Alix Hopkins, who served as Portland Trails Executive Director for its first 10 years, who wrote Groundswell, the landmark manual on founding grassroots land conservation organizations, and now consults in Europe and the Middle East, will be guiding ETA's transition with support from a generous grant from Davis Conservation Foundation. Also helping is Burnham Martin, Director of the Maine office of the NPS Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance program office. For its first three years, Burnham guided ETA as we gave birth to the growing organization.

NiSource announces planned sale of GSGT to Unitil
Unitil, a Hampton, NH-based utility, and NiSource announced plans for the sale of GSGT to Unitil. The sale would change ownership of much of the old rail corridor where the ET is being built from the largest gas transmission company east of the Rocky Mountains, NiSource, to a locally-owned New Hampshire company, Unitil. Unitil has a reputation as a 'green' company reported to organize an annual bike ride. After successfully working with GSGT while owned by a company with its operations management shared across many states, we expect a simpler interface working with a company whose headquarters is within 10 miles of the old rail corridor. It should be smooth transition. The sale is expected to be completed in November.

Some 2008 Outings (FMI, see: http://www.EasternTrail.org/outings.html.)

June 7 - Eastern Trail 57 Mile Shore Ride Wells to Kittery and back - one of three 50-mile ET loop rides.

May 18 -Maine Ultra Efficient Vehicle Rally - www.velomobiles.net

May 26, Memorial Day - Snowy Egret Run/Walk with Maine Audubon & Chiropractic Family Wellness Center. 5K race starts at 9:00 AM. The kids 1K starts at 8:30 AM. Registration is at Peterson Field on race day, or at www.active.com. Race is a benefit for the ETA and the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center. FMI contact Bob LaNigra at runnar@verizon.net or call 883-8662.

July date TBD - Scarborough Marsh nature walk - Tom Daley < ted434@localnet.com >

July 14 Explore Off-Road ET in Scarborough

28 August - North Haven Island annual ETA ride.

And, more

This winter's outings to Moosehead and Acadia went so well, 2009 repeats are already half planned.


Join ETA - NOW!
Become ETA's newest member! Member dues pay for more than 50% of ETA's operating costs. Join the campaign to complete the ET. Receive ETA's newsletter and discounts on ETA events. Create a legacy for future generations. Join here on-line using our certified-secure, credit card-accepting, membership application. Join ETA's hundreds of members who want to see the ET finished.

“Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem.”
- Henry Kissinger

“In Maine, an overnight success takes 20 years.”
- Kathy Mazzuchelli, Caribou, Maine Parks and Rec Director

“The worst possible decision is to give up.”
- John Chatterton, SCUBA diver

Call us (207.284.9260) or e-mail the ETA office