Cumberland Town Council tables $12,000 pledge for Casco Bay Trail after heated public comment

CUMBERLAND, Maine — The Cumberland Town Council on Tuesday paused consideration of a $12,000 local contribution toward preliminary engineering for the proposed 10‑mile Casco Bay rail‑trail, citing unanswered questions from abutting property owners and a desire for clearer written commitments from the Maine Department of Transportation.

The council debated whether the small, roughly $12,000 municipal share — part of a 10% local match on a project estimated at about $600,000 for preliminary work — would guarantee a meaningful role in design. “If the town wasn’t ready for participation, we probably would not continue with design in the community,” Dakota Hewlett of the Maine Department of Transportation said, explaining DOT’s 2024 local cost‑sharing policy and stressing that DOT does not maintain recreational trails.

Why it matters: DOT said the local match signals municipal support needed to pursue larger federal construction grants. Opponents warned that the longer fiscal and maintenance burden could be substantial and that abutters had not been adequately consulted; proponents said the contribution is a modest way to secure a seat at design conversations and to seek safer bike and pedestrian connections to Portland.

Abutters pressed safety, access and property‑rights concerns. “Tonight I’ll focus on the financial hit to Cumberland,” said Joe Kamiska, who said he and his wife have lived on Middle Road for 40 years and urged the council not to join the interlocal agreement or pledge funds. Kamiska also cited a website that disputes project claims and argued the corridor should be preserved for potential future rail use.

Residents who support the trail cited planning results and safety concerns on local roads. “I commute by bike frequently to Portland… I would love to have the opportunity to bike mostly into Portland on a route that’s safe,” said Jonathan Labry, a resident who urged the town to take the first step and fund the preliminary engineering to gain input on design.

The Casco Bay Trail Alliance’s board member Nancy Grant told the council the alliance is a small volunteer nonprofit that has contributed private funds to reduce town costs and plans additional fundraising to ease municipal burden. “We wanted to show that we feel that pain too, and we’re willing to take money that we have raised privately to try to help the various towns,” she said.

DOT answered technical questions about design and costs. Hewlett said preliminary engineering would include corridor survey, bridge and culvert inspections, and design work that typically takes “a year to 18 months” and produces a preliminary design report suitable for seeking federal construction funding. He estimated construction could be “in the $1–$2 million per mile” range and said early maintenance costs might be roughly $2,000–$2,500 per mile annually in early years, depending on management approach.

DOT also told the council the corridor remains state‑owned under the Maine State Rail Preservation Act and that the department would retain railroad‑corridor responsibilities and would not treat the corridor as abandoned or require Surface Transportation Board action to proceed with interim trail use.

Motion and next step: Councilor Robert (surname not specified on the record) moved to table agenda item 26‑068, the resolution tied to the $12,000 local match; the motion asked staff to schedule follow‑up meetings with DOT, the Casco Bay Trail Alliance and abutters and to return with written clarification. The motion passed and the council will set a date for a focused workshop to gather further information before reconsidering the pledge.

Other council business: While tabling the trail item, the council approved routine items including committee assignments, a victualer’s liquor license renewal for Cumberland House of Pizza and a consent agreement resolving a four‑foot encroachment at 29 Pond Shore Drive. The council also approved updated Twin Brooks Recreation Area policies and set a July 27 public hearing for a permit application at 77 Sanderson Road.

What the council asked for: Councilors asked DOT for written documentation clarifying what the $12,000 covers, what formal role (if any) municipalities and private contributors get in steering‑committee decisions, anticipated long‑term maintenance obligations, and whether feasible public access points can be secured in Cumberland (DOT identified Johnson Road and the Yarmouth Park & Ride as current access points and said survey/design will determine other options).

The council’s pause preserves the town’s ability to seek more detail and hold abutter meetings before committing municipal funds or joining an interlocal maintenance agreement. The council directed staff to schedule follow‑up meetings with DOT and stakeholders and to return with written answers and a proposed workshop date.