Cumberland council tables commitment for Casco Bay Trail design after extensive Q&A and public testimony

The Cumberland Town Council voted to table action on a request to commit $12,000 to preliminary engineering for the proposed Casco Bay Trail after lengthy questioning from councilors and more than two hours of public testimony on the project's costs, access and potential local obligations.

Dakota Hewlett, Maine Department of Transportation’s statewide bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, told the council the trail is included in MaineDOT’s current three-year work plan with $600,000 allocated for preliminary engineering. He said roughly 80% of that is expected to be federal funding, and the department’s local cost-share policy requires the remainder to come from nonfederal sources; MaineDOT plans to cover half of that nonfederal share and asked the four municipalities in the corridor to cover the rest. "We're just looking for formal support of that today," Hewlett told the council, outlining that Cumberland’s direct share would be $12,000 if towns and a private partner split the local match.

That technical framing did not quiet concerns from abutters and some council members. Residents who live adjacent to the rail corridor said they were surprised by the pace of the process, said promised meetings between abutters and state representatives had not occurred, and asked about lasting maintenance and emergency access. "We were promised a meeting with abutters and MaineDOT that didn't happen," said an abutting resident who urged the council to delay commitments until abutter questions were answered and concrete access points were identified. Jacqueline Story, an abutter, urged the council to "honor the process" and require MaineDOT to meet directly with impacted residents before the town provides financial support.

Opponents also flagged potential long-term costs. One speaker warned that the town could face a large financial exposure if the project advanced to construction without clear commitments on maintenance and liability; another questioned whether Cumberland residents would ever have a practical trail access point within town limits. Dakota Hewlett said MaineDOT does not maintain recreational trails and typically seeks local partners, nonprofits or interlocal agreements for ongoing upkeep. He estimated typical early maintenance would be in the low thousands per mile annually and that construction could range from roughly $1 million to $2 million per mile in similar projects — a figure he said could vary depending on context.

Supporters of the trail urged a different view. Members of the Casco Bay Trail Alliance and other residents pointed to public surveys and a recent flash vote that they said showed majority support for a modest municipal contribution. "We want Cumberland at the table," said a Casco Bay Trail Alliance representative who described the group as a volunteer nonprofit prepared to help with fundraising. Several residents said safer, off-road routes for cyclists and pedestrians would reduce risk on busy corridors and could bring economic and public-health benefits.

Councilors wrestled with those competing points. Proponents on the council said the $12,000 is a relatively small amount to secure detailed survey data, engineering analysis and an official design process that would answer many of the outstanding questions; opponents said the town deserved written commitments on access and maintenance and that abutter outreach promised years earlier needed to occur before the town promised funds.

After debate, Councilor (speaker 7) moved to table item 26-068; the motion was seconded and the council voted to table the request, instructing town staff to arrange a prompt workshop with MaineDOT and abutters and to return the topic to the council with written clarifications and any materials MaineDOT can provide. Hewlett said MaineDOT would try to be flexible on timing but noted design funds must be obligated within program timelines. The council did not adopt the resolution or commit any funds at the meeting.

What happens next: Town staff and MaineDOT agreed to schedule a follow-up meeting and provide written answers to the council's questions about access, maintenance responsibility and the relationship between preliminary engineering and any later construction-phase commitments. MaineDOT told the council it would prefer to proceed with design in communities that indicate readiness but that it can be flexible if Cumberland needs more time to resolve abutter concerns and internal questions.