The Cape Elizabeth Town Council on Monday unanimously gave the town’s Conservation Commission the go-ahead to pursue necessary permits to create a new connector trail in the Winnick Woods conservation area.

The proposed trail would extend about 200 feet and link the existing main trail and a trail created last year that connects to the nearby 46-unit Eastman Meadows housing development.

A 75- to 100-foot-long boardwalk and a bridge would be built over the wettest portion of the trail, which includes an open pond, to minimize impact to existing natural resources, according to Mitch Wacksman, chairman of the all-volunteer commission. The new trail would formalize an ad hoc trail on the property that is being used more frequently.

Former resident Alice Larrea donated the 71-acre property on Sawyer Road to the town in the 1990s to be preserved in memory of the Winnick family. The property includes a 1.7-mile trail loop and is used mainly for hiking, biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and bird watching.

The Conservation Commission celebrated the official opening of Winnick Woods in September 2008, which is one of the priorities of the 2001 Greenbelt Plan. The primary recommendation of the plan was to create a trail system on the property, with a signature trailhead and kiosk on Sawyer Road.

The group has discussed the new trail concept in Winnock Woods for the last few years. As trail usage continues to increase, in addition to improving the surface and signage of the main trail system, the group is making progress on laying out connector trails and additional signage for the property.

Town Planner Maureen O’Meara said that because of the proximity of two existing trails, users of the property have started to cut across the wetland area from one trail to the other.

O’Meara said the overall cost for the trail work has not been determined, but it would be funded primarily by the commission’s annual budget. The New England Mountain Biking Association would cover about 50 percent of the permitting and construction, and the town would cover the remaining costs, estimated to be less than $1,000.

“The commission is confident that the construction costs will be modest,” said O’Meara. “For this trail project, because of the sensitive nature of the location, it was permitting that would be more challenging. So, we have not prepared a detailed cost estimate, but are confident the construction cost will be in the $300-range for materials.”

Permitting costs are estimated to be around $1,000, O’Meara said.

On Monday, Wacksman said the commission was seeking approval from the council to begin applying for a local resource protection permit and other permits needed to start the project.

The trail area includes more than 20 acres of Resource Protection-zoned wetlands and buffer. After meeting with a Department of Environmental Protection representative on the property, Town Engineer Steve Harding also determined that a Permit-By-Rule from the state is required to install the new trail, Wacksman said.

“We either need to fix it appropriately, or do something drastic to keep people out of there,” until the new trail is built, he said.

According to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website, a Permit-By-Rule is intended to save applicants the time and expense of filing a permit application with DEP. At the same time, it protects the environment and provides standards regarding how the trail work is performed.

“The commission has long discussed this area as a good trail connection location,” O’Meara said. “With the current casual use, the area will be better protected if a defined trail is created.”

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