A Project Canopy grant will allow for trail improvements on two town-owned parcels of land.

By Gillian Graham, Staff Writer

[Editor’s note: This will be a great addition, with a new trail system and parking right off the Eastern Trail. The Eastern Trail Alliance and the Eastern Trail Maintenance District both submitted letters of support that accompanied the Project Canopy grant request.]

Old Orchard Beach will develop two town-owned areas as community-managed forests with a grant from the state’s community forestry program.

The $8,000 grant from Project Canopy, the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s community forestry program, will allow the town’s Conservation Commission to expand a trail system and extend access to natural recreation areas.

Milliken Mill Woods, a 51-acre parcel on Portland Avenue, was given to the town 14 years ago by Janice Milliken Andrews to be used for low-impact bicycling and hiking. The second parcel, about 17 acres, is across the street from Milliken Mill Woods.

Both properties have easy access to the Eastern Trail and will offer off-street parking. Engineering design of trail improvements is in progress, with construction planned for this year and 2015. Construction will be done primarily by volunteers.

The recreational areas are expected to open this coming fall or in the spring of 2015.

You can read the entire article online here.

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