Lisa Thompson – THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE

By RANDY SEAVER, Editor

Biddeford voters will soon decide the fate of a $6 million bond that would be used to upgrade, repair and enhance several of the city’s recreational assets, including parks, playgrounds and buildings.

On Tuesday, the Biddeford Gazette was invited to tour some of the sites that need upgrades and repairs.

*Facilities coordinator Brian Dunphe points to pipes that are leaking and patched in the basement of the J. Richard Martin Community Center. (Seaver photo)*

Lisa Thompson has been the director of the Biddeford Recreation Department for a little more than three years.

Thompson says she wants people “to feel proud” of Biddeford’s parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities.

If approved by voters, the
recreation bond will have a $38
impact on the average homeowner

Currently, Thompson says her staff is spending more time on patching problems on aging infrastructure instead of focusing on services and programs for city residents.

“Basically, we have a never-ending to-do list,” Thompson said, pointing out that funding for recreation is often considered to be a luxury item, ignoring how many residents use their services and programs.

Thompson concedes that the $6 million bond will likely not cover everything on her “to-do list,” but said the funding will allow her department to tackle “high priority” repairs and upgrades.

City Manager Truc Dever said that if the bond is approved by voters, the city will begin a community engagement effort to see which projects residents most support.

“Ultimately, the city council will have the final say, but we want the public to be actively involved in the decision-making process,” Dever said.

If approved by voters, the recreation bond will have an impact of a little more than nine cents on the mil rate.

Based on the average bond payment, the impact of this question on a median home valued at $382,500 is $37.62, according to city officials.

The tour revealed several examples of aging and inefficient infrastructure that is currently being funded in a piecemeal manner that does not address long-term needs.

Our tour began in the very same building where the Recreation Department is housed: The J. Richard Martin Community Center on Alfred Street.

In addition to housing the Recreation Department, the building is also used by a number of non-profit community groups, including La Kermesse, Meals on Wheels and the 50-Plus club. Those clubs all pay leases for their respective spaces in the building.

The Community Center – formerly a public school — was built in 1888, and it is showing its age.

*A group of young men play a quick pic-up game of basketball at Mayfield Park*

The building’s heating, ventilation and cooling costs have been skyrocketing because of inefficiencies and an outdated heating and ventilation system with an old boiler and a giant oil-fired hot water tank.

According to Facilities Coordinator Brian Dunphe, it takes an average of 500 gallons of heating oil each week to keep the building heated.

“We’re spending roughly $65,000 per year just for heating oil,” Dunphe said.

Our next stop was at St. Louis Field, located at the corner of Hill and West streets.

*Brian Dunphe holds up a section of the sagging perimeter fence at St. Louis Field*

St. Louis Field is used by the Biddeford High School baseball teams and is home to the annual La Kermesse Festival. The University of New England also rents the field for its baseball teams.

The field’s perimeter fence is rotting, and its concrete anchors are cracked and visible. The current fence sags and is a stark contrast to the nearby Waterhouse Field, which is operated and controlled by the Biddeford School Department.

Dunphe said a 2023 estimate for replacement of the fencing was $380,000.

At Rotary Park, the club house building does not meet standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA) The bath house needs a new roof, and you can see where plywood was placed to prevent birds from nesting in the roof.

At Mayfield Park on May Street, we came across a group of young adults playing basketball not far from tennis courts that need to be resurfaced.

“We need activities that young people can use,” said Gabe Smith, who said he visits the park two to three times per week. “Young people need resources and positive, safe opportunities.”

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Roughly 40 Biddeford residents turned out Tuesday for a “town hall” style meeting in order to learn more and ask questions about two local bond questions that will appear on the November ballot.

Various city officials and department heads took turns presenting information and fielding questions from concerned residents during the hour-long meeting.

*Biddeford residents listen to information about two local bond questions that will be on the ballot,*

The Q&A session was followed by a guided tour of the J. Richard Martin Community Center, which houses the city’s recreation department.

Detailed information about the two bonds can be found here: Local Referendum Questions

Because the city is still behind on completing its FY ’24 and FY ’25 audits, some residents wondered if Biddeford will be able to qualify for a competitive interest rate on the bond repayments.

Both City Manager Truc Dever and Finance Director Gerry Matherne said they expect the overdue FY2024 audit to be done by December, ahead of when the city would be applying for bond approval.

Although the city can only estimate the expected rates, approval of both questions – upgrades to the city’s sewer system ($20 million) and funding repairs and upgrades at the city’s recreational facilities ($6 million) – will have a combined impact of about 37 cents on the mil rate.

The average Biddeford home would see a $147 property tax impact.

Public Works Director Jeff Demers said the city is making steady progress in complying with state-mandated sewer separation projects, but said a future project could pose significant impacts on downtown businesses.

“We have already completed what we call the low-hanging fruit,” Demers explained. “We’re going to do the very best we can possibly do, and we will be working closely with business owners.”

*City Manager Truc Dever (right) explains the impact of the city’s ongoing efforts to meet state-mandates regarding sewer separation as Public Works Director Jeff Demers listens.*

Recreation Director Lisa Thompson listed a number of repair and upgrade projects that are long overdue at several of the city’s recreational facilities, including the West Brook skating rink, St, Louis Field, Rotary Park, the Biddeford Ice arena and the now closed skate park on outer Main Street.

“The city has seen tremendous growth in the past year, and we want to ensure that we can meet the demands that the public wants and needs,” Thompson said.

City Councilor Marc Lessard stood up from his seat in the audience to make an impassioned plea for investments in the city’s recreational assets.

“We are a service center community,” Lessard said. “Our recreational facilities attract new investments and growth in our community. Unfortunately, when things get tight, recreation is usually the first thing to be cut.

“I am a huge supporter of our city’s recreational resources,” he continued. “We have delayed these projects long enough.

“The loss of our skatepark is the poster child of what happens when we put off critical investments,” Lessard added.

Not all residents said they would support the two bonds.

“We’re writing checks we can’t cash,” said Mike Bouthillette of Biddeford.

Bouthillette asked several pointed questions during the presentation, saying the city should be looking for other sources of revenue by selling unused properties and increasing user fees for recreational buildings.

NOTE: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information about the anticipated completion of the city’s FY 2024 audit. We apologize for the error.

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Tag: Lisa Thompson

Tour highlights aging recreation resources

‘Town Hall’ meeting draws questions and concerns