By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

When the person with the microphone thanked the contractor involved in making a handicapped-accessible trail in Pondicherry Park, a young girl whispered, “Daddy, they’re talking about you.” 

As the words of praise were made public, it became apparent that so many individuals and groups not only shouldered some of the work but also shared a sense of pride in what had been accomplished. 

“Very few municipalities can brag about having a nature park in their town, let alone in their downtown. I believe this is just one more attribute that contributes to making Bridgton the special place it is. And, to finally, finally, finally make it accessible to everyone is a cause to celebrate,” Bridgton Town Manager Robert Peabody, Jr., said. 

On Thursday, Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) hosted the ribbon-cutting for a new section of trail designed to expand the outdoors experience for people in wheelchairs. LELT had raised more than $120,000 through grants and donations for this trail project.  

Between 80 and 100 people attended the grand opening. 

Like others who spoke, Peabody had a long list of parties that contributed to the making of this trail.  

“I would like to begin my remarks by expressing my appreciation with Matt Markot, the executive director [of LELT]. Without his tenacity, this amazing project wouldn’t have likely been undertaken,” Peabody said. 

“This project was a true partnership effort between all the entities mentioned,” he said.  

“It takes skill, competence and vision to take a set of plans and make them a reality. Warren Excavation has undertaken several town contracts and I was more than pleased when they won the contract. Kyle Warren is an exceptional contractor who can adapt to the challenges that a project presents and deliver a completed project that demonstrates his pride in the work he does,” he said.

At that point in time, Kyle Warren’s daughter’s eyes lit up in recognition while his wife reached over and pressed her hand to his face. Warren has an intimate understanding of the trail. He provided the statistics, regarding how long it took and how much material was moved in the process. 

“It took roughly seven weeks. We ended up moving 1,200 yards of material. It was around 700 trips to move the material. We traveled 250 miles to make it all happen,” he said. 

Warren Excavation used compact track dump trucks and smaller heavy equipment to keep the character of the trail, he said. 

“We were happy to have the opportunity, especially being from Bridgton, to build this trail. It feels good to have it fixed up so everybody can use it,” he said. 

The trail is 0.7-mile long and at least six-feet-wide with ample pull offs for people to pause and take in the scenery. The trail is accessible from two ends: the Bob Dunning Bridge and the Willet Road entrance. 

The need for a wheelchair friendly trail within the park was identified more than 10 years ago, according to LELT’s executive director. Markot provided some background of “our beloved Pondicherry Park.”

“If you can believe it, it did not exist until 2009. It just seems like it has been here forever. Many people here today were instrumental in developing this incredible community resource,” he said. 

“In 2010, a management plan was approved for the park after a community planning and envisioning process. One of the number one priorities was developing a universal access trail in the park. Now, we are proud to say we have done that with the support of all of you,” he said.

“I would like to thank Maine Adaptive and Enock Glidden, who was an advisor. We couldn’t have done this without Enock’s vision for this trail,” he said. 

Glidden was born with spina bifida so a wheelchair has been part of his life since he was a child. He is an athlete, an extreme adventurer and a motivational speaker. One of his goals is to increase wheelchair accessibility in trails and parks. Glidden attended the grand opening of the new trail. 

LELT Board of Directors President Richard Lemieux pointed out that this is not the first success in making a trail system that is usable for people in wheelchairs or other mobility devices.  

“This is second time that we have constructed a universal trail — a trail that is accessible to everyone. It is well packed. It is flat for the most part. It is generally not too strenuous. There is another one just like this at Peabody Fitch Woods. It was done three years ago,” he said. 

“Now, we can boast that we have two trails that are accessible to everyone,” Lemieux said. 

Markot stated that Loon Echo will continue to work towards providing more universal trails in the future.  

“I’m proud to live in a community that values access to the outdoors for all people. Our natural resources are our greatest asset here in the Lake Region. Not only are we working hard at LELT to protect these resources through land conservation, but we are committed to making these resources accessible to more people by removing physical and social barriers whenever and however possible. This trail is a big step in the right direction, but there is a lot more work that could and should be done. The momentum is there and the support from the community is evident. We hope this trail serves as an inspiration for a lot more of this work in the future,” he said. 

“We are not done yet either. We really hope this is just the beginning in terms of developing better access to all the open spaces we have in Bridgton and beyond,” Markot said. 

To donate to Loon Echo Land Trust, go to its webpage lelt.org. At the top of the page on the righthand side, there is a heading that says, Donate. 

For more information about wheelchair friendly trails and parks around Maine, go to accessiblenature.info.