Select Board accepts $30,000 ATV grant; debate centers on Russell Road access and neighborhood impacts

The Select Board voted 5-0 to accept and expend a $30,000 municipal grant awarded to the Skowhegan Area Stump Jumpers ATV Club, a reimbursement grant that requires a 10% local match. The board’s action passed after an extended public discussion about routes, signage, enforcement and potential neighborhood impacts.

Club representatives said the funds will finance trail upgrades including a new bridge and ditching work needed to connect northern commercial areas to the trail system. “This grant is going to be a huge part of our trail system. We have a $19,000 of this is to put in a new bridge,” Christopher White, the club’s trail master, told the board.

Staff and residents raised concerns about which public roads the club will use. Several speakers cited parts of an existing ordinance that lists permitted routes, and the police chief warned that sections of the route, in particular Bennett Avenue and parts of Russell Road that run through denser neighborhoods, may generate calls for service and safety concerns.

“We deal with crashes there all the time,” the police chief said, referring to the Bennett Avenue area. The chief suggested a cautious, stepwise approach and recommended more outreach to neighbors before opening more segments for ATV traffic.

Club leaders said they have communicated with landowners along sections of Bigelow Hill and Russell Road and plan to post access and curfew signage as required by the town. The club noted an immediate hurdle: signage costs. The trail master said he initially believed the grant would cover signs but learned it does not; he said buying the needed sign materials through the municipality would reduce costs. At one point he said, “An $800 bill is a lot better to come up with than 3,000.”

Select Board members proposed practical steps to manage risk: a provisional period for the trail, door‑to‑door outreach to adjacent landowners, and tracking police calls and complaints so the board can reassess if problems arise. “We could provisionally approve it for, like, a 6 month period to weed out any issues,” one board member suggested.

The board’s acceptance authorizes the town to act as a pass-through for grant reimbursement; town staff confirmed internal controls and explained they will review invoices and submit reimbursements to the state. Town staff also said some segments still require private landowner permissions and that the trail cannot fully open until all required signage and approvals are in place.

The vote was 5-0 in favor of accepting and expending the $30,000 grant; the club’s 10% match will be in-kind labor. Board members directed staff and the club to continue outreach and to return with inspection or signage updates as the project proceeds.