The Town of Hubbardston Open Space Committee discussed several trail projects tied to a MassTrails grant and local maintenance work, including a new loop at Mount Jeff, a narrow point near a large hemlock, and a planned volunteer “bridal” (bridle?) event with the Bay State Trail Riders. Committee members said they expect construction or active work to start soon but that some work may not begin until late spring or June.

The committee heard that Maddie Stauter has drafted a project description for clearing and improving a trail segment near Malone Road; the draft initially attempted to compress the work into one day and committee members recommended expanding the window to three or four days to make the work realistic. The committee’s estimate for building the upgraded surface — four inches of base material and two inches of top material — on the Malone Road segment is roughly $3,000 to $3,500, and members said they hoped to cover that with grant funds or by requesting support from the town recreation committee.

Committee members described progress on other maintenance work: finishing the Gates Hill Bridge tie-down and correcting stripped screws, clearing a route around a boulder near Beaver Pond that narrows the trail, and finishing a new loop at Mount Jeff that extends roughly 1,600 feet out to a bow and another approximately 800 feet back to the connection point. They flagged a large beech limb and a big hemlock near the new loop as things to avoid while work is under way.

Members said they expect Bay State Trail Riders to run a bridle/bridal event in June (the group also runs an October event) and that volunteers should coordinate timing around that event. The committee also said the broader MassTrails project may not move into construction until June, based on prior remarks from Mark (first referenced in the meeting), and that committee members would request updates from him by email.

Why it matters: the committee is using a combination of grant money, in-house volunteer labor and small town funds to expand accessible loop options in the conservation network and to maintain existing trail infrastructure. Committee members emphasized realistic schedules for volunteers and short funding requests to fit grant timing.