By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — If Caribou is accepted as a host community with the Maine Conservation Corps’ Veteran Community Leader Program; it could mean good things for Caribou’s motorized and non-motorized trail systems.
As Parks and Recreation Director Kathy Mazzuchelli explained to members of the Caribou City Council during their Jan. 14 meeting, participating in the program would help the town realize the four goals set during the trail feasibility study commissioned by the city in 2004.
“Our goal with this particular program would be to utilize this particular veterans volunteer to really help us be able to build a broader base of community volunteers, enhance the system itself and help with economic development,” Mazzuchelli explained.
Goals identified in the 2004 trail feasibility study for Caribou’s trail network — “Which we’re pretty fortunate to have,” Mazzuchelli stated — included developing access to and connectivity within the trail systems, establishing trail networks for motorized and non-motorized use to meet user needs, addressing landowner concerns in order to work with the community to establish and maintain landowner participation in the trails program and enhance economic development opportunities by promoting the local trails, supporting local businesses.
The MCC Veteran Community Leader could be utilized by the city to help implement those long-term goals.
After undergoing an 11-week training program, Mazzuchelli explained that the Veteran Community Volunteer would be able to implement four or five different opportunities for the city.
“They can create new trails and rehabilitate existing trails; with a focus on training and recruiting other veterans and community volunteers, they can create and improve the recreational trail system; they can establish a sustainable, dedicated community volunteer base and develop plans for future conservation projects,” she said.
Mazzuchelli also mentioned to the council that while Caribou is very fortunate to have its trail system, there are some parts of the trail plan the city has been negligent on primarily because of time, energy and money.
“Working with volunteers is time consuming — as good as it is — but at some point you have to have that front person to be able to do that coordination with the intent that you need to build that volunteer reserve, to get collaboration between motorized and non-motorized [recreation enthusiasts], and landowners.”
To participate in the MCC’s program, Mazzuchelli informed the council that the city would be responsible for a $12,000 stipend to the MCC. She suggested that, should the council approve participation, $4,000 could be taken from three department accounts: Rails to Trails, Collins Pond Extension Project, and the general reserve for land acquisitions and easements.
“The Collins Pond Extension project, that’s one that the [Veteran Community Volunteer] would be working on with volunteers and trying to be able to prepare grant applications,” she explained, also citing work that could be done to help the completion of an 11.3-mile circular loop around the community through land acquisition and easements.
Mazzuchelli described how enhanced trail services could allow for pedestrian use and bicycle use, which was one of the goals in the city’s comprehensive plan.
A different type of infrastructure investment, the council also approved an engineering contract with Stantec for the Caribou Airport Runways Reconstruction Program. Of the $490,028 price tag for engineering costs, City Manager Austin Bleess explained to the council that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will pay 90 percent, or $441,025, and both the city and state will be responsible for 5 percent each, or $24,501.
The Caribou Airport has been a popular topic for public input during the past few meetings, some questioning its necessity and others advocating for the city’s continued support of the municipal airport.
During the Jan. 14 meeting, the council also approved five new members to the Caribou Planning Board and one re-appointment. The seven-person board now consists of remaining member Jim Murphy, re-appointed member James Cerrato, and newcomers Dave Bell, Philip Cyr, Matthew Hunter, Todd Pelletier and Robert F. White.
Councilor David Martin questioned the city manager on an appointment council made approximately a year ago, stating that the council had appointed Cerrato to the Loring Development Authority Board of Trustees, yet Cerrato hadn’t been contacted by the LDA. Bleess expressed that he would look into it.
The next meeting of the Caribou City Council is on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.
