Belfast council OKs hiking trails on former ski slope at City Point Road

BELFAST – The City Council has agreed to a plan that will create hiking trails looping to the summit of the former ski slope on City Point Road.

In approving the plan, the council authorized the Camden-based land conservation group Coastal Mountains Land Trust to cut the hiking trails and improve a parking area across the road from the 19-acre ski slope property. The project will get under way next year.

CMLT already manages the nearby Knowlton-Swanson-Stephenson preserve and envisions the ski slope project as another part of its long-term goal of creating a “greenway” of hiking trails along the hills and bluffs overlooking the Passagassawaukeag River. The river courses from central Waldo County to the sea at Belfast Harbor. CMLT also has an option to purchase 53 acres, including 1,200 feet of river frontage, about one mile upstream of the ski slope.

“We have a broad vision of partnering with landowners to create an eventual greenway along the river,” CMLT project manager Beth Kane said Friday. “I think the city has taken a positive step. They are giving us a trial period here and it’s a first step for what we want to happen in the region. We’re looking forward to working with the city and other landowners on this.”

Kane outlined CMLT’s plans when she appeared before the council last week. Although CMLT initially had hoped the city would declare the ski slope area a city park, the council decided against making that declaration. The city has tightened spending on its existing parks and members felt that adding a park to the system would further strain resources. The council also wanted to keep its options open should a future council decide it needed to sell a portion of the property.

“We’ve got parks now that we can’t even take care of,” said Councilor Walter Ash.

A volunteer group created the ski area on the steep hillside in the early 1960s. The area provided recreation for more than a decade but the ski slope eventually was closed. The city has used the area to store brush and the parking area up the road to pile snow.

Kane said the steep slope made the ski slope parcel ideal for advanced hiking trails. She said CMLT planned to build a loop trail leading from the base of the hill to its summit. She said CMLT ecologists would walk the land and identify the trail direction and set aside sensitive areas. As was the case with the Knowlton-Swanson-Stephenson preserve, she said, volunteers would build the trails.

“We’ve already had a lot of people call to volunteer. It’s an inspiring thing,” said Kane. “It will be a community effort to create a place for the people of Belfast to enjoy.”

Kane noted that CMLT has more than 4,000 acres under management in the midcoast region. She said about half of that is owned outright, while management of the other half was obtained through conservation easements. She said CMLT works with landowners to preserve and protect unique and sensitive lands. She said the conservation group viewed its mission as long term and that members were committed to being partners with landowners.

“We’re at the will of the landowner and we’re willing to work with them. Each project is different and each owner-family has its own goals for the property. It’s the landowner who allows us to move ahead,” she said. “Land conservation can take years. It’s building relationships and it’s long term. We’re going to be around forever so we aren’t going to rush things. Not everything has to happen today.”