WINDHAM – Chaffin Pond, a 9-acre body of water located on 123 secluded acres in busy North Windham, is being eyed by town leaders as a possible addition to its list of publicly accessible recreation areas.

The acreage, which the town of Windham has leased since 2000, is owned by the Portland Water District. At its Feb. 22 board of trustees meeting, the water district deemed the property to be surplus since the district no longer needs the pond and its aquifer as a back-up source.

Instead, the property, which has been appraised at $385,000, will be put on the market with the town having the right of first refusal, according to the lease agreement.

“The board determined there is no need for Chaffin Pond as a back-up source, since we have interconnections and mutual aid agreements with several other utilities,” said district spokeswoman Michelle Clements.

While Chaffin Pond has remained a viable water source for decades since the water district first bought the property in 1938, it went out of use in 1999 after an MTBE scare at the former Christy’s gas station on Route 302. As a result of the scare (the pollutants failed to reach the pond, Clements said), the water district extended water pipes linking the Sebago Lake Water Treatment Facility in Standish to North Windham via Whites Bridge Road at a cost of $1.5 million.

Since 2000, the water district has leased the pond and surrounding acreage to the town as a recreation area. Each year, the town pays $1 for use of the property, and in return, the water district avoids having to pay property tax on the acreage. The area is a year-round spot for picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing as well as canoeing and kayaking. There is trailhead kiosk, trail signs, footbridges and about two miles of trail. The town’s recreation department currently oversees maintenance of the trail.

“It’s a gem to have this in North Windham,” Parks and Recreation Director Brian Ross said. “It’d be nice to keep it for future generations to us.”

Windham boasts several recreation areas, including the Mountain Division Trail in South Windham, Windham Land Trust’s 100-acre Black Brook Preserve in Windham Center, 25-acre Deer Hollow Preserve off Mt. Hunger Shore Road, 300-acre Lowell Preserve off Falmouth Road and the 40-acre Otter Brook Preserve off River Road.

On Tuesday, the Windham Town Council signed a third 5-year lease of the property with the Portland Water District.

While the assessment is $385,000, there is no sale price at this time and is something the two parties would negotiate. But in coming months, the town will need to decide whether it wants to purchase the property outright, or let it go to a private concern. Either way, due to the underground aquifer, the entity that buys the property will be required to adhere to a host of restrictions since much of the property is in resource protection as well as aquifer zoning.

“We understand it’s budget season, so that’s the reason this is coming up now, to see if they are interested,” Clements said.

And before any sales agreement could be signed, the sale has to be approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, a process that could take at least eight months to complete.

“The PUC will look at everything and determine whether selling it is a detriment to our customers,” Clements said.

While a purchase is a long ways off, councilors seemed interested in learning more about the proposal.

“I would certainly be interested in looking at a purchase price for it because it’s a great area,” Councilor Carol Waig said. “It’s a great little pond to fish in. You can put a kayak or canoe in there. You couldn’t put much else in there; the pond is fairly small. There’s great wildlife out there.”

Councilor Matthew Noel likened the property to Payson Park or Deering Oaks in Portland since it sits in the middle of Windham’s busy shopping district near Home Depot.

“I think in terms of the vision, this is a great opportunity. From location, from an opportunity of 123 acres of green space,” he said. “I’m a little nervous about the potential for conditional use which they may place on it which may limit our ability to access the majority of it … so I would like to see those details. But in terms of a vision for North Windham … and having a spot that the town owns and can go out and enjoy some peace and quiet while not necessarily going that far away from home, I think it’s huge.”

Plenty of people use the trails and pond already. Waig mentioned local Boy Scout outings. (Eagle Scout projects have resulted in kiosks and picnic tables.) Local mountain bikers and hikers use the trails. And people looking for a quiet spot to launch their kayaks regularly use the pond in the summer, as do ice fishermen in the winter.

And the Portland Water District hosts school trips as well on the property. Lynne Richard, environmental education coordinator for the district, has led students on trail hikes around Chaffin Pond for the last nine years. She has seen moose, beavers, weasels, a variety of birds and plenty of other wildlife on her many adventures with middle-schoolers from such schools as Bonny Eagle, Gorham, South Portland, Westbrook and Portland.

“The kids love it. Some have never been in the woods in New England before, so it’s a real treat for them,” she said.

Since the lake is shallow – 40 feet at its deepest – Richard said warm-water fisheries including pickerel and bass are pretty decent. The state stocks brook trout as well.

“It is sort of a secret spot in the middle of North Windham. I have a soft spot for it for sure,” Richard said.

Brian Ross, Windham’s parks and recreation director, is in charge of maintaining Chaffin Pond and its two miles of trails. Here he stands in a new-growth area of pine. (Staff photo by John Balentine)