Windham adopts revised Parks Ordinance

By Ed Pierce

Members of the Windham Town Council voted unanimously to adopt changes revising the town’s Parks Ordinance following a public hearing held on Tuesday evening.

A footbridge that was installed
at Lowell Preserve without the
permission of the Windham Parks
and Recreation Department created
confusion among trail users and
has led the Windham Town
Council to revise an ordinance
prohibiting park improvements
without the town's authorization.
FILE PHOTO 

In October 2020, someone installed a footbridge in Lowell Park without clearing that through the Windham Parks and Recreation Department. In a public statement made at that time, Windham Parks and Recreation Director Linda Brooks had said that while the town appreciated that contribution, it led to confusion among users of the town’s trails system.

“Our trails are color coded and when new unapproved trails are added using existing trail colors, they are not depicted on our trail map and have resulted in trail users getting lost,” Brooks said. “That is a safety issue that we are trying to address.”

The issue to amend the town’s Parks Ordinance prohibiting such activity and making park improvements without town authorization was brought up more than a year ago and discussed by town councilors during a meeting in 2021, but Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said that it somehow failed to move forward and placed on the council’s agenda.

He said that a revised Parks Ordinance brought before the council Tuesday evening specifically addresses rogue improvements made to town parks.

Under Section f of the new ordinance, the language adopted by the council is as follows: "Improvements. The town welcomes volunteer efforts to improve, maintain and beautify town parks; however, all such work shall be authorized in advance by the Parks and Rec Director."

The newly adopted ordinance was also modified to address the use of dangerous weapons and explosives in Windham town parks.

Newly revised language in the ordinance is as follows: "Firearms/Fireworks, Etc. Firearms of any description, air rifles, gas weapons, slingshots, bows and arrows, firecrackers, and explosives shall not be discharged in town parks with the exception of hunting activities at Lowell Preserve."

No members of the public spoke during the public hearing but during a brief discussion held after that, several questions were raised by councilors prior to a vote to revise the ordinance.

Tibbetts answered a question regarding the posting of the ordinance in town parks and said that the newly revised ordinance will be posted prominently for visitors to parks in the town.

He also said that although the discharge of firearms at Lowell Park is permitted under the revised ordinance, no guidelines have yet been established for the new East Windham Conservation Project lands. That outdoor recreational area is scheduled to open sometime in the fall of 2023.

“We’ll revisit that for the East Windham Conservation Project once the Town of Windham actually owns that land,” he said.

A copy of the newly revised Windham Parks Ordinance is available on the town’s website at windhammaine.us <