GREENVILLE – Selectmen were asked Wednesday to consider a donation to the local snowmobile trail grooming program.
The town is being asked to match the combined donation made during the year by the business community, according to Town Manager John Simko.
Resident Kyle Pelletier, who made the request, said the town should invest in snowmobiling because it has a ripple effect on the local economy. That effect is important because other than the schools and the hospital, the town has no industry, he said.
Pelletier, a businessman and member of the Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club, said the housing market is driving the local economy and snowmobiling helps bring people to the community. People who visit the area for winter recreation and find an excellent trail system will return and are more apt to move to the community, either full-time or seasonally, he said.
“The grooming program needs the support from the town,” Pelletier said.
Pelletier noted that other communities similar to Greenville, a snowmobile destination, make donations to their local trail systems. He said Rangeley donates $40,000 per year to the snowmobile program.
Town officials estimate trail grooming this year cost $55,000, which is paid through a state grant, in-kind support from the local snowmobile club and private donations.
The town already plays a role in the grooming program since it finances the program until funds are received, and it donates the reimbursement the state provides for snowmobile registrations, according to Simko. In addition, the town has lent its name for two loans for the purchase of trail groomers.
Simko, who said he recognized the effect snowmobiling has on the economy, suggested that some of the tree growth penalty could be used to help the program. Either some or all of these unanticipated funds created when a landowner removes land from the tree growth program could be used for trail construction if residents supported such a move during a town meeting vote, he said. This way, funds would not be taken from property taxes, he said.
Simko expects the request will be addressed during the budget process.
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