Cheshire approves MOU with New England Mountain Bike Association to build trails at Yankee Highlands

The Town of Cheshire on March 10 authorized a memorandum of agreement with the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMA) to develop a mountain‑bike trail network at the 300‑acre Yankee Expressway Highlands property, with initial construction limited to the parcel's northwest corner as depicted in appendix A.

Francisco Perez, treasurer of the Central Connecticut chapter of NEMA, and regional director Mick Ferrara described the organization's experience and said NEMA brings volunteer labor, planning expertise and grant experience from other Connecticut projects. Ferrara called the project “an incredible opportunity to bring more outdoor recreation to Connecticut,” noting recent grant successes in nearby towns and the group's emphasis on professional, environmentally sensitive trail design.

Council and staff emphasized environmental safeguards. The Environment Commission supported the limited initial footprint and an environmental review team (ERT) process is underway for trails outside appendix A; councilors said the ERT work and subsequent analysis will guide possible expansion. NEA and town staff acknowledged parking, access and signage as outstanding issues to be addressed during phased implementation; councilors emphasized sustainable trail design, user education and mitigating unauthorized motorized use.

The council voted to authorize the town manager to execute the agreement and to limit initial trail construction to the northwest corner; the motion passed unanimously. Construction of the first phase is expected while the environmental review for remaining areas proceeds; NEA estimated an initial 8–12 month window for phase one planning and construction, but multi‑phase buildout for additional zones will be longer and is dependent on environmental reviews, permitting, parking solutions and funding.