Volunteers fix up Fairfield Loop Trail

FAIRFIELD — A group of volunteers and trail enthusiasts spent Friday and Saturday tidying up and improving the Fairfield Loop Trail.

Jefferson County Trails Council Maintenance Superintendent Stephanie Wharton said 10 people on Friday and another 15 on Saturday performed a number of tasks such as spreading rock beneath the benches, putting mulch around signs and kiosks and cleaning the signs and mile markers along the trail.

Some people cut weeds around the signs and gazebos, while others applied a weatherproofing sealant to the bridges over Highway 1 and near Lamson Woods. One group worked in a shop sanding boards that will replace the wood on the benches.

Seven of the weekend’s helpers were employees of Cambridge Investment Research Inc., including Wharton. She said the company has a policy of giving each employee a “volunteer day,” which can be spent volunteering for a local organization while getting paid for it.

Wharton said she expects the newly sanded and sealed wood will replace the old wood on the benches later this summer. She said the trails council has talked about holding another volunteer day in the fall, though it depends on how much work needs to be done.

“We’re playing it by ear,” she said. “We might wait to hold another [volunteer day] around this same time next year.”

Portions of the Fairfield Loop Trail were closed for part of last year as the city of Fairfield installed new sewer lines along the eastern and northern parts of the city.