AUBURN — What does Santa Claus do in the off-season?

A lot of volunteering, apparently.

Stephen Martelli, shovel in hand, was pulling from a large pile of dirt on the Barker Mill Trail recently — a place he has worked hard to transform over the past decade.

As a volunteer for the Androscoggin Land Trust, Martelli has brought the land that winds along the Little Androscoggin River from a brush-covered path to a landscaped trail, complete with bridges and overlooks. 

Last week, between meetings for Auburn’s 150th anniversary celebrations, where he serves on two committees, he was spreading fresh dirt on eroded areas of the trail and pointing out projects underway to make it easier for seniors and children to use. 

Soon, as the holiday season nears, he will put the shovel down and reappear as Santa Claus at local Christmas celebrations — something he’s done for more than 40 years.

But the rest of the year, Martelli is there to help Auburn. 

“This guy is everywhere,” said Mayor Jason Levesque last week. “Every event, he’s wearing the ‘150th’ T-shirt. He’s cutting trails over at Barker, knocking on doors, just talking things up. I wish we had 10 Stephen Martellis.” 

While Martelli, 67, makes the rounds as Santa Claus during the holidays, he spends most of his time maintaining the trail. He made sure to point out his favorite view, looking back at the river dropping over the Barker Dam, especially as the leaves are nearing peak fall colors. 

He has hiked the Appalachian Trail twice, among a handful of other long treks out West, and his previous volunteer work to maintain portions of the Appalachian Trail made him an obvious choice for his current role.

Martelli said when he first walked the Barker Trail with land trust officials, it was not so much a trail but an overgrown path. With Barker Mill Arms just a parking lot away, his goal has been to make the trail completely accessible to seniors.

“This is what I like to do,” he said. “I want them to be able to enjoy the trail.” 

That means new bridges and redirecting drainage so that water does not erode the trail. At one clearing near the dam, he is slowly placing large stones to create a walkway to the water’s edge. 

Locals use the trail now to go fishing upriver, walk their dogs or just enjoy the view. Martelli would like to see more people taking advantage of the area that is close to downtown Auburn. He recently stopped to chat with a Lewiston resident on his way to cast a line when they both saw a bald eagle swoop down to snatch a fish.

“I told him, ‘That should’ve been your fish,'” Martelli said. 

Martelli, who lives in New Auburn, is a retired welding inspector and former welding instructor at Central Maine Technical College, now Central Maine Community College. 

He moved to Auburn in the late 1990s, relocating from his hometown near Asbury Park, New Jersey to take a welding gig. 

Martelli’s efforts to give back to the community can be traced back to 2006, when he suffered a fire that destroyed his home. In the aftermath, he said he was caught by surprise by the level of community support he received, especially from strangers. 

“I saw the community come out and support me,” he said. “People came out of the woodwork.”

Auburn will officially celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2019 with a series of events, starting with a New Year’s celebration. Martelli will have a hand in both the holiday and Memorial Day celebrations, and he is currently working on the city’s campaign to sell memorial bricks to be placed in the redesigned and renamed Anniversary Park, formerly Little Androscoggin Park.

Proceeds from brick sales will support Auburn’s 150th celebration and construction of a bell tower in the park to house the famous bells taken from the former St. Louis Parish in Auburn.

“The city has made it 150 years already,” Martelli said, “and we’re going to kick off the next 150 years.” 

Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest.

Stephen Martelli of New Auburn stands along the Barker Mill Trail recently, talking about his volunteer efforts to maintain and beautify the section along the Little Androscoggin River. (Andrew Rice/Sun Journal)

Stephen Martelli takes a break from trail maintenance recently near the dam at the Barker Mill Trail in Auburn. Martelli is a volunteer for the Androscoggin Land Trust, and has also played a central role in planning for the city’s 150th anniversary celebrations. (Andrew Rice/Sun Journal) 

Stephen Martelli of Auburn is also known for his portrayal of Santa Claus during annual holiday celebrations. The rest of the year, Martelli stays hard at work volunteering. (Submitted photo)