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Property purchase for Phase 6 completed in Middlebury

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The Friends pf the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail have recently closed an important gap in the Pumpkinvine corridor. In October, the Friends purchased a 1,300-foot section of the Pumpkinvine on Middlebury’s south side from Mary Heign. This section of the corridor had reverted to adjacent landowners when the railroad was abandoned because the original deed to the railroad was an easement.

“The purchase of the Heign property makes a continuous corridor from Wayne Street to US 20 and makes possible the eventual completion of Phase 6 of the Pumpkinvine project,” said Jim Smith, Friends executive director.

The purchase is for the west half of the corridor -- the section the Heigns owned -- making this part of the trail narrower than most other sections. “We will have a narrower trail for a quarter mile,” Smith said, “but the important point is that we have continuity in the trail. Going around this section would have been nearly impossible.”

As early as 2000, the Friends advised the Heigns of their interest in purchasing the west half of the corridor. However, the timing wasn’t right for the Heigns’. Then, in 2004 Mary’s husband Ike and her son Jeff, attended the Friends’ annual meeting to become more acquainted with the project. One week later, on May 4, 2004, and before any further discussion of a purchase, Ike died tragically in an automobile accident.

When the Friends resumed contact this fall, we were excited to find that the Heign family supported the Pumpkinvine project and were willing to sell.

“To our great delight, we were able to close the transaction this past October,” Smith said. “We are indeed grateful to Mary Lou Heign and her family for their advocacy for the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and their willingness to sell this section of the corridor. To show our appreciation for their critical support and to honor the Heign family’s wishes, this portion of the corridor will be named in honor of the late Ike Heign. Thank you, Mary Lou, Jeff, Bob and Randy.