HOULTON, Maine — Visitors to the Just For Kids playground in Community Park will have a place to escape the sun’s glare without having to go inside this summer.
Marie Carmichael, recreation director for the town, said Thursday that the town is seeking bids on a shade structure that will be built at the park.
“This is going to be a shade canopy type structure near the playground,” she said. “It will be built on the side of the log cabin structure that is already there. It is going to be a nice place where the kids who are playing at the park or the adults watching them or using the park can go to get out of the sun. They won’t be forced to go indoors or to sit under a tree.”
In 2017, the town received a $144,00, federal grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The grant is being matched with $62,000 raised by the Riverfront Committee.
A portion of the money will be used to buy the new canopy, according to Carmichael. The funds also are being used to build restrooms in Riverfront Park and pave the remainder of the parking lot area. Some of the money also was used to resurface the tennis courts in Community Park.
Carmichael said that there used to be a small number of trees near the playground area that provided some shade. The trees were removed when the town installed the new playground equipment.
“We are also going to put picnic tables under the canopy, which will be nice,” she said.
The tables will be paid for with proceeds from the 35th Annual Wild Katahdin Trust Snow Run, which took place last month during the Moosestompers Weekend.
“We expect construction to begin in the spring,” Carmichael said. “We’d like everything to be on site by June 1 so that it is ready by the time we begin our Just For Kids program this summer.”
