What started as just a vision of green space is developing into a new park with deep community roots.

For quite some time now, the Newberry Hill Heritage Park Stewardship Group has been working alongside Kitsap County Parks and Recreation to implement a park stretching from Newberry Hill Road to Seabeck-Holly Road and Seabeck Highway to El Dorado.

“Creating this park is going to be a cooperative effort,” said Tom Coleman, a member of NHHPSG. “Josh Brown and the county parks and recreation folks have spent a lot of time and effort to acquire the land from the DNR and the NHHP stewards will be working closely with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Central Kitsap Community Council and the hundreds of citizens we hope to involve in planning its future.”

The group is partnering with the International Mountain Biking Association, Subaru of America and Kitsap County Parks and Recreation to host a trail-building class and fundraising dinner and raffle Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Klahowya Secondary School.

The dinner will be held at the Silverdale Community Center and is sponsored by Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que. Raffle items and tickets will be on display and available throughout the day and evening with the final raffle taking place Saturday evening during the dinner. Winners need not be present to win and all proceeds and donations will support the NHHPSG.

“Our group is applying for state and federal status as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization,” Coleman said. “We’ll be eligible for more grant and public money as a result. The fundraiser is to pay our legal costs related to filing for non-profit status. If we raise more than the approximately $800 we need for the 501(c)3 filing, we’ll begin saving for trail signage, tools and materials.”

The trail-building class teaches “sustainable” trail-building techniques, which means building trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance which helps reduce trail damage, protect the environment and enhance visitor enjoyment, according to the group.

“There is a science to building trails that takes years to master,” Coleman said. “Properly constructed trails meet different users’ needs, don’t negatively affect the land they cross and are sustainable. Most people don’t realize that trails they run or ride on require a lot of planning and hard work. For instance, one switchback in steep terrain can take days to build. And water erosion is a perennial enemy of trails in the Northwest. An improperly built trail can rut out, gather water and actually speed up the process of erosion.”

The workshop will include in-class instruction as well as hands on trail building techniques out on a trail. The class is free, open to the public and anyone interested in attending must RSVP online at go.imba.com/bremerton.

“We expect to have mountain bikers, trail runners, horse riders, landowners, other stewardship group representatives, county employees, as well as Klahowya teachers and students at the event,” Coleman said.