Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Trails And Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conservation commission pursues Bridal Path grant, raises PFAS concern; CAC declines to join letter
Summary
Commission members said they will seek grant funding to repair the Bridal Path and flagged invasive Phragmites along the Mousam River estuary; the Climate Action Committee will not join a letter to MDEP about a proposed PFAS facility in Sanford, and Lee Sullivan will draft the commission's letter.
At its April 6, 2026 meeting, the Town of Kennebunk Conservation Commission said it will pursue grant funding to repair the Bridal Path and investigate support options for trail maintenance.
Jennifer Shack, a committee member, and Lee Sullivan, a committee member, reported they will meet with Chris Osterrieder to discuss the possibility of obtaining a grant to repair the Bridal Path and will reach out to Public Services to identify what help the department might want for trail upkeep. Shack and Sullivan also noted there is extensive invasive Phragmites along the Bridal Path and in the Mousam River estuary and said the commission should explore funding options for removal.
The discussion included recycled-bike-rack options. Shack said she had identified vendors that sell recycled-plastic bike racks and that she would forward those vendor links to Joshua Tabor, a member of the Climate Action Committee, for the CAC to consider.
On the question of drafting a joint response to state regulators, Tabor said the Climate Action Committee will not join the Conservation Commission in writing to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection about a potential PFAS processing facility in Sanford; Sullivan said he will prepare a first draft of the commission's letter.
The exchange produced three near-term directions: Commission members will (1) meet with Osterrieder to pursue grant opportunities for the Bridal Path, (2) contact Public Services about trail maintenance needs, and (3) have Sullivan draft the commission's letter to MDEP regarding the Sanford facility. The Climate Action Committee declined to co-sign such a letter at this time.
The commission did not vote on any of these steps at the meeting; the items remain planned next actions to be pursued outside a formal vote. The commission listed follow-up discussion of these topics for a future meeting.
