By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Kennedy Park’s new life would begin this spring at its southeast corner, starting with a skate park, new basketball courts and a new bath house.

It would continue over the next five to 10 years, according a park redevelopment plan presented to city councilors Tuesday night.

In all, the plan calls for $3 million worth of work – new landscaping, refurbished park walkways, a relocated gazebo and Civil War monument and the return of a central fountain – in three phases.

“We’d look at doing the bulk of the work as the money is available, spread out over several years,” City Administrator Jim Bennett said.

But there is a rush to kick off work at the southeastern corner, where Spruce and Pine streets meet.

Bennett said the Skate Lewiston Auburn Movement hopes to break ground on its $230,000 concrete skate park this spring, as soon as the weather allows. That work would displace two basketball courts, which would be moved farther north, just past the current swimming area.

“We’d like to have that all up and operating this summer, about the time the pool opens,” he said.

Bennett said councilors should vote on the master plan in February or March. He said he’d give them financial plans for that first phase at the same time. The city’s share of that first phase comes to about $1.2 million – including about $500,000 for a new bath house.

Councilors have already agreed to let area skateboarders build their skate park farther north along Pine Street, across from City Hall. But that was before councilors commissioned a new master plan that looked at uses for the entire park.

That group began meeting in August. Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau said they agreed that the southeast corner was the best spot for the skate park.

“First, it keeps the active parts of the park together,” he said. That leaves three-quarters of the seven acre parcel open to quieter recreation. It also protects several trees around the middle of the park. They’d have to move if the skate park goes in across from City Hall.

Architect Todd Richardson said plan designers wanted to keep the wide open views around the park while upgrading the walkways and benches. They’d move both the gazebo and Civil War monument south, making both more prominent. The plan also calls for about $352,000 in streets and sidewalk improvements surrounding the park.

It’s an important step for the city’s image, Bennett said.

“The tag people used to put on Lewiston before, that we were dirty or unsafe, was because of Lisbon Street,” Bennett said. “Well, we’ve cleaned that up. They can’t say that anymore. The next project we need to tackle for our image problem is this park.”

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