FREEPORT – Freeport Conservation Trust is one of several community organizations that will make presentations at a panel on Thursday, May 1, during Freeport Community Night at the Freeport Community Center.

A panel of eight people who represent various community services for both Freeport and Pownal residents will be on hand for Community Night, which begins at 6:30 p.m., and is hosted by Freeport Community Services.

There will be people from the Freeport Police and Fire departments, Freeport High School Interact Club, Casco Bay YMCA Cancer Support Program, Wolfe’s Neck Farm, the town and more.

Katrina Van Dusen, executive director of Freeport Conservation Trust, will introduce residents to the organization that fosters an active lifestyle in town, and manages many of the trails.

“We’ll talk about the overall mission and about new projects,” Van Dusen said. “Also, we’ll talk about the Active Living Plan.”

Freeport Conservation Trust will present its Active Living Plan to the town’s Planning Board on May 7, with the hope that the Town Council later will adopt the plan, which has involved many months of work. The Active Living Plan, commissioned by the Town Council, calls for infrastructure improvements meant to foster an active lifestyle, including a cycling and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 295 and signs along trail heads.

Van Dusen said that Freeport is blessed with many trails.

“Freeport is a really special place, and we have long had a great variety,” she said. “You could walk for hours and weeks and months on our trails.”

Van Dusen said she wants to impress upon people Thursday night that both the town and the land trust want to create opportunities for people to get off the road and walk.

“We want to introduce people to the land trust who are not aware of it,” she said. “We’re a membership organization, and we need support to keep doing these things.”

Lesa Andreason, a consultant, will facilitate the presentations. Carol Southall, a Freeport Community Services trustee and founding member, said that Andreason will lend a light touch to the evening.

“She’s hilarious,” Southall said. “She’s just a lot of fun. Last year, we had roundtables and people discussed what maybe they would like to see. This year, we’re having a panel. Transportation always comes up.”

Southall, who heads up the Community Night committee, said that sustainable agriculture and day care for people with dementia are among the other topics that will be discussed.

Past Community Nights have yielded great results, Southall said. The anti-bullying Tolerance and Respect Program (TARP) came out of one Community Night. Others produced the Freeport Farmers Market and a stronger community service program at Freeport High School. Southall credited Dede Bennell, service learning and aspirations coordinator at the high school, for her contributions.

“A lot of things have come up, and someone usually follows up on them,” Southall said. “We’ve done a lot in the schools. We’ve also started events for parents to battle cyber-bullying with their iPads.”

This year, the audience will listen to the panelists, and respond with questions and concerns, Southall said.

“We really don’t go in with an agenda,” she said. “This encourages an active, vibrant community. Community Night has been one way for people to voice their opinions. They want a more active community, with more bike trails. It’s kind of an open feeling, where people share. There’s not an agenda. It’s just a forum.”

A CLOSER LOOK

Freeport Community Night is Thursday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m., at the Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St. Residents are invited to learn about programs and services available in Freeport and Pownal. For more information, call Freeport Community Services, 865-3985, or see www.fcsmaine.org.

People walk their dog along one of the many trails that Freeport has to offer. Katrina Van Dusen, executive director of Freeport Conservation Trust, will discuss the town’s trails, as well as the Active Living Plan, on Thursday night during Freeport Community Night at the Freeport Community Center.