$50,000 donated for hut-trail system

CARRABASSETT VALLEY – A contractor has donated $50,000 to kick off a fund-raising campaign for a 170-mile “hut-and-trail” system for cross-country skiing and mountain biking.

The contribution by Clem Begin of Sugarloaf Construction Co. and his wife, Rolande Begin, was announced at the Friday kickoff of a campaign to raise $500,000 for the system.

The project calls for cutting 170 miles of trail from Newry to Rockwood and building a dozen huts, each of which would be 5,500 square feet and able to accommodate 35 to 40 people. Skiers would be able to ski from hut to hut in the winter, or to bike the route in the summer.

The huts would offer lodging and dining for about $45 per person per night.

Larry Warren, a former president of Sugarloaf USA and a selectman who is spearheading the project for the nonprofit Western Mountains Foundation was lauded as a man who has given generously to his community for a long time.

“He’s been there for the community for the past 25 or 30 years,” Warren said. “We hope his example can pave the way for other donations to come.”

Warren said the hut-trail system would offer environmental education and outdoor recreation opportunities for people of all ages. One of the partners in the project is L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School.

Plans call for the first three huts to be built next spring, two in Carrabassett Valley and the other on the shore of nearby Flagstaff Lake. Linking the three huts would require cutting 23 miles of trail.

Warren said Friday the short-term goal is to raise $500,000 over three months. The long-range goal is to raise an additional $5 million over five years to complete the project.