MADAWASKA, Maine – Madawaska residents showed support for renovations to the town’s Bicentennial Park during a Jan. 9 informational meeting — giving momentum to an effort to freshen up the park on the corner of 12th Avenue and St. Thomas Street.
The revisions include creating a pavilion where musicians can perform during the town’s summer concert series, amphitheater-style seating, a zipline and playground for children, and a skate park for teens and young adults.
Town Manager David Daigle said the town has already set aside $30,000 to help kickstart the process, and that it hopes to have the pavilion, amphitheater seats and electricity set up later this year. This piece of the project is estimated to cost about $200,000.
The town hopes to raise money for the project via local business sponsorships. United Insurance has committed $20,000 over three years. Reed & Reed, the Woolwich-based contractors who built the new Madawaska-Edmundston international bridge, have committed $5,000.
“We’ve got those funds committed so far,” Daigle said. “We’re not likely to ask for additional funding from the community. We’re going to try and do this as a community project with community resources other than taxation.”
The town also received help from Carol Botelho, an architect based in Brazil who spent time in Madawaska as an exchange student. Botelho offered the services of her firm, Trae Studio Architecture & Design, free of charge and designed an architectural rendering that showed what the new park could look like.
Botelho, who graduated in the Madawaska High School class of 1996, said that while she has spent 25 years as an architect in Sao Paulo, her journey truly began when she was an exchange student and lived with the family of current park committee member Jane Carter. It was Carter who reached out to Botelho to see if she would offer her architectural services.
“I lived with the Carter family during that year, and I can affirm that it was one of the best experiences of my life — so full of personal growth and unforgettable joys,” Botelho said on a Zoom call during the presentation.
She said this is not just a project, but a way to give back to a community that helped her so much.
“I am what I am now because of what I experienced in Madawaska,” she said.
She explained that this new design would put food trucks behind the pavilion area where artists perform, and this would also be where electrical outlets would be located to power gear needed for large events. There would also be a picnic area and hammocks.
The design also features a large upright wooden frame with “Madawaska” in large letters at the bottom, creating a photo opportunity for visitors and tourists.
In response to a question about the park’s capacity during large events, Daigle said that if some people bring their own chairs and sit a little further back from the pavilion, it could comfortably fit around 300.
Another suggestion was made to place a 400-amp panel in the park, just to make sure musicians and vendors have enough electricity. Daigle said that this will be addressed once the project gets to the engineering phase, adding that the town has had some preliminary talks about that aspect of the project.
Looking ahead, Daigle said the town will continue seeking large corporate sponsors to help fund the project. The next phase of fundraising involves reaching out to smaller local businesses or affluent people with ties to the community who may want to contribute.
The final phase would be to ask for smaller donations from residents, allowing people to purchase a brick in the dance floor area with a message or dedication.
He said the overall project could take several years to fund, but the town could hit its goal sooner with enough support.
“If a community is excited about something, it’s limitless,” he said. “We’ll see how it all pans out.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Bicentennial Park was visible from the Canadian border. The Madawaska Four Corners Park is visible from the border; however, the Bicentennial Park is not.
