Newcastle selectmen on Monday approved the grant application for a set of recreational hiking trails on Jones Woods Road at the site of the former dump. Merle Parise, a forester who came to the town with the proposal last fall, designed a walking trail with a bird viewing platform and a cultural history viewing site. Original plans to include equestrian trails could not proceed, since the soils were too soft for horses.

Parise said there is funding in a federal government program for building recreational trails. The funding requires a 20 percent match from the town. Some of the matching funding will come from a timber harvest at the site, and some will be in-kind labor to build the trails. The grant request is for $10,000, and the town will more than cover the match with $2,000 in volunteer labor and an estimated $1,800 from the timber, Parise said.

Parise said the timber harvest will take place in the fall or early winter, when the soil hardens up, and the grant funds will probably arrive in the spring. The plan is to build the trails in late spring or the summer of 2018. A trail head with parking will be built at the same time.

Future plans for other parts of the dump site include a fenced dog park with benches, but that would need funding. Parise believed dog owners would chip in, because they have been very vocal about wanting a site for unleashed dogs.

Deputy Town Clerk Marion Mundy resigned effective July 28, and a new deputy clerk, Cheryl Clifford, was approved to begin working in late August. Mundy will continue serving as recording secretary for the selectmen and some of the other boards. Town Administrator Jon Duke thanked her for her service and wished her well. “We’ll miss her very much,” he said.

The town agreed to participate in a joint Christmas holiday decorating scheme with Damariscotta, to be called “Villages of Light.” The buildings on Main Street will be decorated with lights, each business will decorate their windows, and a more robust holiday parade will include people from Newcastle as well as Damariscotta. Other town events will include tree decorating along Main Street, Santa visits, angel trees for providing gifts for needy children, and other events. The whole holiday celebration will last from Thanksgiving until about New Year’s Day, and will be coordinated by the Damariscotta Region Chamber of Commerce.