HOULTON, Maine — After several years of fundraising and postponing construction in order to secure additional funding, the Town Council on Nov. 13 approved a grant to build restrooms and make other improvements at community parks.
Nancy Ketch, community and economic development director for the town, received approval from the council for a $62,977 federal grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Most of the remaining funds for the projects were raised by the Riverfront Committee. The total cost of the projects is about $144,000.
The money will be used to build restrooms in Riverfront Park and pave the remainder of the parking lot area. It also will be used to purchase a new canopy for the Just For Kids playground in Community Park which will provide a shaded area at the site that was lost when trees were removed for the installation of new playground equipment. Additionally, the tennis courts at that park will be resurfaced.
The restrooms, which have separate facilities for men and women, will be built on town property in Riverfront Park.
Ketch said that the only downside of the grant is that no money was included to paint the railings on the Gateway Crossing bridge. The railings have not been repainted since the bridge was constructed 12 years ago, and they have begun chipping excessively. Ketch said that city officials tried to have the repainting costs included in the grant, but the request was rejected because the work was considered “maintenance.”
Ketch said that the town would not have been able to do the enormous work being funded by the grant without the Riverfront Committee.
“They agreed to let us use their contribution as a match, and they postponed the construction for us,” said Ketch.
She also said that more work is planned for Riverfront Park.
“We do hope to get the railings painted,” said Ketch. “We also know that we need more benches down there along the pathway, because it is a very popular walking spot for the elderly, and we have heard that there are not a lot of places for them to sit down.”
