By RANDY SEAVER, Editor

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, several residents used the words “community engagement,” during a public hearing about how the city should prioritize funding of its neglected recreational assets.

Several of those who testified before the council pointed to the principles and importance of community engagement, arguing that the council should prioritize projects that have received the most public feedback — most notably support for repairing or replacing the city’s former skate park that was located on outer Main Street as part of Rotary Park.

Tuesday’s public hearing was only the city’s latest effort to again seek public input and feedback about the city’s recreational facilities, and which projects should be a priority.

In November, voters approved a $6 million bond that is designated for upgrades and repairs to more than a dozen of the city’s recreational assets, including parks, playgrounds and infrastructure.

The city recently released an online survey that asked residents to rank the projects that are the most important to them.

Over the next few weeks, city councilors from each of the city’s seven voting wards will be hosting individual ward meetings to solicit resident feedback about the recreation bond and other community issues.

Several people packed the council chambers Tuesday but most left quickly after the recreation public hearing.  

Despite several pleas and noting the importance of public engagement, there was absolutely no community engagement or public comment during a second public hearing regarding the use of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

Kids got a ‘raw deal’ from the city

The former skate park received broad public support from a diverse and vocal group of city residents.

Several residents said the city “took away” the skate park, a popular social gathering spot for younger residents.

City officials, however, maintain that the park was closed because of “safety and liability” concerns created by cracked and crumbling concrete skating pads.

Several residents balked at the city’s rationale for closing the park, arguing the city has a responsibility to repair and maintain all of its public infrastructure, including the skatepark.

“We now have an opportunity to heal an old wound,” said resident Holly Culloton during her remarks in support of the skatepark.

Other residents were equally as passionate, saying the city should embrace “atonement” for its decision to close the park nearly two years ago.

Anne Thompson, an older resident, told the council that the skatepark was a vital community asset and a resource for “at-risk kids” who may not participate in more structured school sports programs.

Steven Gudschinsky of Biddeford didn’t mince his words.

“The kids and the voters got a raw deal,” he said. “That park should have been maintained all along”

Why was previous public input ignored?

Biddeford resident Samantha Lance and her wife, former city councilor Neva Lance, drew rousing applause from the audience when they offered their comments to the council from the podium.

Samanntha Lance reminded the newer members of the council that her wife attended a previous public meeting about the skate park that was also attended by former mayor Marty Grohman and current mayor Liam LaFountain – before the skate park was closed for public use.

Lance told the council that a “large number of parents and young people” also attended that event.

“That meeting was not casual conversation,” Lance told the council. “It was a serious discussion. Families and kids showed up. They spoke about what the skate park meant to them. They shared concerns, ideas, and hopes for its future. Their input was documented. And the three sitting city officials present — including my wife — gave their word that their concerns would not be ignored and that the skate park was not gone forever.”

Lance said those words seemed to fall on deaf ears, despite continued robust community input during subsequent city meetings.

“The city later told those same families that funding was not available,” Lance told the council. “Residents were encouraged to pursue fundraising efforts — GoFundMe campaigns and other community-driven solutions — if they wanted to see the project rebuilt.”

Lance said the skate park should not have to compete among the city’s other recreational assets because the public already spoke out overwhelmingly in support of the skate park.

“The public showed up in numbers we have not seen for any other recreation issue in the past year. The community has already spoken,” Lance said.

“In a time when trust in government is fragile, keeping your word matters. When public officials give their word to families and children, that promise should stand — especially when the funding now exists.”

“This is about more than concrete and ramps,” Lance added. “It is about trust. It is about accountability. And it is about showing this community — especially its young people — that when they show up and speak, their government listens.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story incorrectly listed Samanntha Vance as Samantha Vance. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He has been covering Biddeford news and politics for nearly three decades. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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