The South Portland Land Trust has been selected to receive a grant of $139,397.55 for renovating and improving the Long Creek Trail. The grant is from the Maine Trails Program (MTP) administered by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Grants & Community Recreation Program. The program supports motorized, non-motorized, and multi-use trails in Maine and, thanks to passage of the Maine Trails Bond, has $30 million in state funding available through 2034. The MTP's current plan is to have competitions in each of the next four years; the Long Creek grant is part of the first round.

There are several administrative steps that must be completed before a Project Agreement can be signed. MTP's target is to finalize Project Agreements in time for a March 2026 start date.

SPLT chose the Long Creek Trail for its project based primarily on its potential for greater use by Brick Hill and Red Bank neighborhood residents, and others, if it could be made more accessible. As such, the planned improvements include such elements as:

Lengthening and reconfiguring the trailhead access to make it less steep and safer
Widening sections of the trail and providing railings where needed
Providing an information kiosk at the trailhead to create better awareness of the trail
Providing benches, viewing areas, and interpretive signs
Replacing the current bog bridges with wider ones
Improving drainage to mitigate erosion
Improving the surface of the trail

Work on the application was a group effort, primarily by members of SPLT's Trail Committee, and it took from April to September to complete. The application also had strong support from several organizations in the Brick Hill neighborhood, such as Avesta Housing, Opportunity Alliance, Greater Portland Health, the Developers Collaborative, and

Richard Berman, the creator of Brick Hill who gave the easement to SPLT for the Long Creek Trail and who stated:

Congratulations to the South Portland Land Trust for their successful grant application to the Maine Trails Program. That grant will be used for the improvement and renovations of the existing trail along Long Creek in Brick Hill and beyond making it more accessible to the general public and to the entire Red Bank neighborhood. Great work, SPLT !

The South Portland Land Trust is deeply indebted to its volunteers and partners for the success of the grant application.

Contact Information

Tex Haeuser, SPLT President
(207) 671-7645
tex@haeuserplanning.com
www.southportlandlandtrust.org