A Home Base for Movement, Play, and Fitness in the Woods of Western Maine.
There is an exciting transformation under way at Pine Hill.
If you’ve skied the beautifully maintained collection of nordic trails this winter, you’ve probably noticed a modern looking structure and deck taking shape near the trailhead.
A collection of community partners are working together to improve access to the Pine Hill Recreation Center and build a home for after school programming.
The Project is led by Mica Project Fund, a non profit organization based in Bethel ME.
Mica Project Fund spearheads ‘Maine West Project Play,’ which is a designated project site for the Aspen Institute’s national “Project Play” initiative.
“We employ a year-round program coordinator who leads programs in mountain biking, hiking, cross country skiing, running and climbing. In the past year, we have purchased two 12-passenger vans to help address transportation limitations and a 16’ cargo trailer to serve as a prototype for a gear lending library.”
“Our goal is to expand participation in youth sports by reducing income barriers to participation and providing year-round opportunities that open up the outdoors for kids living in our region,”
Wade Kavanaugh, the Non Profit’s Founder shares.
Project Play participants gather after a routine practice at Pine Hill.
Project Play programming is already up and running in its 2nd year. The addition of the home base at Pine Hill means local schools are able to collect in one place, train together and have reliable access to one of the state’s best Nordic and mountain biking locations.
Why Does Access Matter?
Despite Maine’s abundant natural resources, access to recreation often depends on money, transportation, or weather.
The Pine Hill Trailhead project ensures that every child—regardless of background—has a safe, welcoming place to learn and play outdoors.
With its successful completion, this project will:
Serve 100+ children weekly through after-school and summer programs, creating a necessary space to grow programming opportunities.
Expand access for working families through supervised outdoor recreation and reliable after-school care.
Create an ADA-accessible trailhead connecting kids and adults to 30+ km of ski and mountain bike trails.
Potentially serve as a prototype for a future outdoor center.
“By investing in this space, donors help remove barriers that keep kids inside, while strengthening the social fabric of our town.”
Maine Passive House Carpenters layout walls for the shed
There is an impressive list of community partners who have come together to ensure this project can move forward.
Educational partners: Gould Academy, MSAD44 and Mahoosuc Kids Association.
Recreation partners: Bethel Outing Club, Town of Bethel Recreation Department and Inland Woods and Trails.
Philanthropic partners: The Betterment Fund, Stifler Family Foundation and generous local donors.
Construction partners: Maine Passive House, KBS Builders, A.K. Excavation, Western Maine Supply, Flanders Electric, Western Maine Roofing, Timber HP, Pinnacle Window Solutions, Gould Property Maintenance team, and local volunteers.
Time and time again, we are so impressed by the network of caring individuals that make up Bethel & its surrounding communities. This project is truly a testament to what can be achieved when a few motivated individuals come together with a shared purpose.
Construction - Work together, source local
As with all of our projects, our goal on our Community Builds is to find the right level of return for each investment; achieve project goals while meeting the budget.
The first place we look?
Design and material sourcing. Almost always, using locally sourced materials is good for both the project’s budget and its environmental impact.
This structure’s design was simple - build a yurt platform and a shed large enough for programming, construct it to be ADA accessible, and make use of natural light.
We planned a moderate level of insulation, but not too much because the hut will only be used intermittently and doesn’t need the R-value of a home. We worked with Wade to make a plan for ample ventilation for waxing skis, when needed, and with AK Excavation, Wade and Gould to develop a site plan that carefully fit the structure at the trailhead and maintained parking access.
We made a variety of suggestions to reduce embodied carbon, while achieving the budget goals for the project, including:
Using Timber HP wood fiber batt; a carbon storing insulation, made from a byproduct of the timber industry, made in a repurposed paper mill using renewable energy (Madison, ME)
Locally milled air dried siding from Gallan Lumber (West Paris, ME)
Locally milled interior pine paneling from Lovell Lumber (Lovell, ME)
Sourcing windows from Mathew’s Brothers, manufactured in Belfast Maine.
Heat pumps installed by EcoHeat (Norway, Maine).
Timberbatt ready for install
Materials generously donated by KBS
The structure was designed to use primarily non-engineered lumber in an effort to reduce cost and make use of donations from KBS, who contributed almost all of the materials for rough carpentry on the project.
Western Maine Supply helped source materials and support the project with various lifts that came up along the way, including use of the moffit and sourcing Timber HP insulation batts. Timber HP gave us a discounted rate on their product, and then, to our delight, KBS also sponsored the cost of the insulation!
Western Maine Roofing installed the roof for a reduced rate, and Flanders electric and AK excavation all put in extra effort to make the project a success.
In every Community Project it’s the partnerships that make all the difference.
Please Join Us in Supporting Project Play!
As part of our Community Project Program, Maine Passive House is supporting the planning and construction of this project with donated hours and a significantly reduced rate on construction.
Even with reduced costs, a project of this scale needs support to make it possible!
The good news is that The Mica Fund is very close to reaching their goal! – $25,000 away from that goal, in fact!
They’re seeking philanthropic and business support to complete Phase 1 construction by the end of mud season.
“Your gift will open the outdoors for a child in Western Maine by creating a launchpad to move, learn, and grow strong in the outdoors.” - Wade
Join Us with a contribution!
Or email, Wade Kavanaugh at wadekavanaugh@gmail.com for more information.