Park for paralysis victims still in Howe brothers plans

Many park activities will center around use of the Ripchair, a Howe and Howe Technologies creation. (Courtesy photo)

WEST LEBANON - The Howe Brothers’ dream of a recreational park for paralysis victims is still alive, but raising the money needed to get the park built is going slower than the famous extreme machine makers had planned.

Geoff and Michael Howe, who starred in the Discovery Channel’s Black Ops Brothers, have been looking to build the park on about 80 acres behind Prospect Hill Road and abutting the Salmon Falls River. They say they need about $20 million to build the park, which would offer hunting, fishing and other recreational opportunities for paraplegics and quadriplegics.

Much of the design is centered around use of the Ripchair, a mechanized wheelchair with treads like a tank that can negotiate rough terrain.

The park would include a trout pond, a bass pond and basketball courts.

Geoff Howe expressed frustration on Wednesday with the lack of donations, but admitted the economy bears the brunt of the blame.

He said his dream would not be denied, but that it looks more like it will be three to five years down the road before any construction begins.

Residents along Prospect Hill Road this week thought that when they saw heavy logging machinery going into the property that perhaps construction had begun, but Geoff Howe said it was just some forestry management logging.

It’s his wish to make the acreage a permanent recreational park for paralysis victims, who could bring their whole family with them for a week’s stay when enjoying the completed facility.

“They’ll be doing things they could never imagine doing,” he said, including enjoying ziplines that will be constructed.

He said in the meantime he is organizing recreational camping trips for paralysis victims in which they can utilize the Ripchair during an outdoor adventure.

Recently he traveled with a group of paraplegics to the Coos Canyon in Maine, where they prospected for gold along the Swift River.

He said the group included six paralyzed people and 30 volunteers. He said some of the paraplegics panned for gold alongside the riverbank.

The Howes’ most recent Discovery Channel Show was Black Ops Brothers ending in 2011, but other shows he couldn’t talk about yet are in the works.

The Howes’ extreme machine facility, formerly based in Berwick, is now located in Waterboro.

About a year ago, a testing facility where the park will be built was vandalized and metal was stolen, prompting the brothers to prohibit public access to the site. State Police said in August an arrest was imminent in the case, but none has yet to be recorded.

The Howe and Howe Technologies website describes it as “a world leader in extreme vehicle fabrication and one of the foremost creators of advanced robotic platform solutions and applications.”

Their renowned technology is used by the military, police forces nationwide and as working props in Hollywood movies.

To learn more about the park or to make a donation go to http://www.outdoorsagain.org/.