Over $350,000 raised by an Ogunquit nonprofit will go toward the preservation and protection of the Marginal Way, a 1.25-mile coastal walking trail, skirting the ocean cliffs, that draws nearly one million visitors each year.
The Marginal Way Preservation Fund’s recent garden party, an annual event attended by more than 150 people, raised the money in one day. The total exceeded the previous year’s results by more than $100,000 and marked the nonprofit’s most successful fundraising event.
The fundraiser met a matching goal that secured an additional $100,000.
Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022 and owned by the town, the path is often battered by storms and requires frequent repairs in addition to routine maintenance. The fund covers the cost of the projects that would otherwise be borne by taxpayers.
“Because of the substantial funding the fund provides to maintain and beautify the Marginal Way, the town is able to use taxpayer dollars elsewhere for the good of the community,” said Robert Whitelaw, chair of the Ogunquit select board.
Storm damage
The nonprofit supports the preservation, maintenance, repair, beautification and long-term resiliency of the trail. It was damaged by a series of storms, one in 2018 and two back-to-back in January 2024, a spokesperson for the fund told Mainebiz.
Damage to stones, stairways, benches, trees and vegetation was extensive. Repairs are estimated to cost more than $3 million. The first phase of restoration was completed, for which the fund paid more than $1 million.
The recently raised funds are unrestricted and will support repairs, preservation and enhancement of the trail, as well as operations that sustain the nonprofit’s mission, although specific projects haven’t yet been designated.
The fund was established in 2011. Although it paid $1 million for repairs so far, the fund retains an endowment of over $5 million. The nonprofit responsible for the fund is the Marginal Way Preservation Fund Inc., overseen by a board of trustees and run by executive director Allison Ramsey.
