Snowmobilers blazing trail to downtown

Snowmobilers in Westbrook are looking at ways to connect the city’s extensive trail system to the downtown, a move that could provide a boost to business during winter months.

However, the logistics of bringing snowmobiles into the downtown still need ironing out, and the biggest question remaining is: How will they get there?

Anthony Latini, the trail master of the Westbrook Trail Blazes snowmobile club, said this week that the trail system in Westbrook also attracts snowmobilers from Windham, Gorham and Falmouth. If the existing network of trails is connected to downtown Westbrook, it could allow snowmobilers from all over to access restaurants and shops.

But, he insisted, discussions are only preliminary.

Latini said access to the downtown runs through the railroad bed (most of which is inactive), culminating at the Black Bridge off Brown Street. As of now, that’s the closest snowmobilers can get to downtown Westbrook.

Lately, the Trail Blazes club has been in discussions with city officials about how to get closer. With the city recently completing plans for the Riverwalk North project, which will extend the downtown riverwalk to the northern side of the Presumpscot, snowmobilers are hoping to get onboard. The city is also in the middle of the complicated Bridge Street bridge project, which will bring a pedestrian bridge downtown.

Although the design is complete, the city does not yet have money to pay for the riverwalk extension. According to City Administrator Jerre Bryant, the project could still be more than five years away.

“We’re going to try to see what we can come up with,” he said, about getting snowmobilers downtown.

However, according to Kylie Mason of Sebago Technics, the landscape architect who designed the riverwalk, the project was designed as a pedestrian and bicycle path, where motorized vehicles would not be allowed. She said the design would have to be amended to allow motorized vehicles.

The riverwalk will stem from the new pedestrian bridge and spiral along the river on land owned by Sappi Fine Paper. Sappi has an agreement with the city to turn over the land once its hydroelectric dam at Saccarappa Falls is decommissioned. At the earliest, Westbrook will own in the land sometime in 2017.

For Latini and the group, this means there’s still time to discuss the possibility of allowing snowmobiles to access the northern riverwalk. It would allow snowmobilers to travel and park near One Riverfront Plaza. From there, they could walk across the new pedestrian bridge (to be completed by August), and access downtown businesses.

Bryant said the city will most likely acquire the land before money is available to build the riverwalk. Even with funding, the project will be constructed in phases. This would mean a makeshift trail could be groomed prior to any boardwalk being built. The riverwalk plans call for cantilevered boardwalks to traverse certain wetland areas.

“It’s been a lot of work to get to this point, but it’s still preliminary,” Latini said.

Latini said the group hoped to access the pedestrian bridge, but it was designed prior to their involvement. The decking material on the bridge surface is not able to withstand wear and tear from snowmobile tracks.

Another option for the group is to somehow use the Black Bridge to travel across the river. According to Latini, this would entail acquiring funding to revamp the walk bridge underneath the rail.

“It’s a long-term project, but we’re inching our way down there,” he said.

Westbrook is often noted as offering both the rural Maine atmosphere along with a downtown district. According to the Maine Snowmobile Association, which is based in Augusta, more than 2,000 businesses in Maine support snowmobile clubs and trails by purchasing business memberships in their local clubs. The Trail Blazes group has support from Charlie’s Diner, Kozeta’s Restaurant, Duck Pond Variety and Starlight Cafe at the Westbrook Community Center, businesses on the Cumberland Street and Route 302 corridor. If they made it downtown, Latini said, perhaps places like Portland Pie and the Frog & Turtle could be added to the list.

According to Trail Blazes President Dan McCarthy, members often seek destinations in Gorham and beyond. But if downtown were accessible, other riders would catch wind that Westbrook was on the map.

“Bottom line with snowmobilers is, you always start the day with a destination,” he said. “It usually involves a place where you can refuel and a place you can eat.”

In the past few years, snowmobilers in Westbrook have established a collaborative relationship with the city.

Westbrook Trail Blazes was founded in 2008 and quickly made an impact in the city. Prior to its first winter season, the club of about a dozen members spent countless weekend hours building more than 30 bridges and putting up hundreds of signs. The group rallied support from multiple landowners to make continuous loops, and the city commended the club for its work for recreation in Westbrook. The trails are also open to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and more.

The club was named the 2009 Snowmobile Club of the Year by the Maine Snowmobile Association.

Across Maine, snowmobilers routinely travel on trails or roads connecting them to regional restaurants and other businesses. The logistics of such travel become more complicated in a downtown area, something that would be unique for Westbrook.

“The trail system now is already a multi-use system,” Latini said last week. “It would just be an extension of what we already do now.”

McCarthy said the keys to a successful project are getting to the river, having enough snow to get over the railbed, and making it safe for everyone. Questions about how to safely accommodate pedestrians and snowmobiles would have to be answered.

On Tuesday, Latini was gearing up his Polaris Ranger UTV, outfitted with snow tracks. The club uses four groomers, two of which were funded by the city. Each one pulls a grooming unit, and together, the team packs down miles of trails after a storm.

The winter season has so far been a bust for local snowmobilers, but two recent snowstorms, which have dropped modest amounts, will allow the Trail Blazes to groom trails and start riding. Latini said it’s been a tough start. He’ll also be working to groom the race course at Sunset Ridge Golf Links, which is again hosting dog sled races on Feb. 6-7, a date change from the originally reported Feb. 20-21.

Westbrook resident Anthony Latini stands with his Polaris Ranger grooming unit Tuesday. Latini uses to machine to groom trails throughout the city, and is hoping to eventually connect new trails to the downtown. Dan McCarthy, center, and other members of the Westbrook Trail Blazes snowmobile club pose for a photo outside Charlie’s Diner, a popular pit stop, last year. The group hopes to eventually access downtown Westbrook, which could benefit businesses.