Maine Could Get a New Park on the Portland Harborfront
We all love the beach because it's basically a wide-open space to kick back, relax, get some sun, maybe get some swimming in, read a nice book, listen to music -- basically just enjoy the nice weather that we've had rolling in this week, right?
And not that we can't do that close to home, anyway, but imagine having a brand new GIGANTIC open public space to do that in Portland? Because there's talks that are getting pretty far down the road of making it not just a hypothetical situation, but a legitimate thing.
According to the Portland Press Herald, there's a new push for what would be 11 acres of open space right at the entrance to Portland Harbor, which would stretch between the Maine State Pier and the former Portland Co. complex.
This time around, according to PPH, the city would get pro bono help from a professor at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service, Dick Barringer. Pro bono is always a huge plus when it comes to a city not having to spend money, but it's an even bigger plus since Dick believes the area in question is the second best, most important piece of land in the state, next to Mount Katahdin.
It's definitely never a bad thing to have someone with that passionate of a view of the area being the one that would front the money, especially since he thinks that spot is just so valuable to all of us, the public.
The plan for the space is to set up a public pavilion for events, a series of event lawns, plazas, a playground, a new pier (an additional one to Maine State Pier, not a replacement), and a ton more, too, according to PPH. And "a ton more" is stressed, so make sure you check out the article in PPH for the full info.
If this happens -- we could really come back THRIVING and actually able to fully enjoy the absolute beauty we have on the waterfront in Portland, considering we were pretty held back from that last summer (and could still be for a portion of this summer.) Are you a fan of this new space becoming a thing, or should it be used for something different?