State grant to enhance outdoor recreation in Windham

By Ed Pierce

During the Oct. 22 Windham Town council meeting, it was announced that the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Financial Assistance Program, in conjunction with the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, has awarded the Town of Windham a grant of $163,750 to be used for outdoor recreation economic development.

The Town of Windham has been awarded a grant of
$163,750 by the state to be used to promote and 
enhance outdoor recreation economic development.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Tom Bartell, Executive Director of the Windham Economic Development Corporation, and Linda Brooks, Windham’s Director of Parks and Recreation, briefed the council about what the grant will be used for and how the funding will be spent.

Bartell said that some of the grant funds will be used for a new campaign to promote and market exceptional outdoor activities available in Windham.

“The Open Space Plan really promoted the notion of connectivity between our trails and that’s the focus of this,” he said.

According to Brooks, a Request for Proposal will be issued to hire a firm to design a connector trail from behind Home Depot in North Windham to Donnabeth Lippman Park.

She said another design will be needed for a proposed 50-acre property owned by the town adjacent to Gambo Park.

Among other projects to be funded by the grant will be to add multilingual signs in town parks and the possible creation of electronic kiosks which detail park information and can easily be updated as needed.

“We are also seeking to update trail signage and have a GIS intern to work with the departments to get the trails digitized for use with a mobile app,” Brooks said.

Brooks said the Maine Community Outdoor Recreation Assistance Program has established a deadline of Sept. 1, 2025 for the funds from this grant to be spent.

“We’ve got a lot to accomplish in a short period of time,” she said.

Bartell said applying for the grant was made easier because of previous work done by the town.

“All the pre-work on our Open Space Plan and the town’s Strategic Plan helped tremendously,” he said.

The idea of applying for this specific grant came up originally when Brooks and Bartell met and discussed ways to promote the new East Windham Conservation Area to those interested in hiking and other outdoor recreational pursuits.

“Linda and I saw an opportunity to enhance our parks and trails through a grant from the Maine EDA,” he said.

Windham currently maintains more than 500 acres of parks and preserves for residents and visitors.

Town Parks include Donnabeth Lippman Park, Windham Town Hall Park, Dundee Park and Windham Community Park on Gray Road. The town also partners with the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust for managing Lowell Preserve and the East Windham Conservation Area.

The Mountain Division Trail has a five-mile paved trail that connects Standish, Windham, and Gorham and the town oversees trails at Claman Sanctuary at Donnabeth Lippman Park, Deer Hollow/Mud Pond, Lowell Preserve and Otterbook Sanctuary.

Councilors John Henry, David Nadeau and Jarrod Maxfield said they were supportive of the grant and the initiative to encourage more people to take advantage of abundant outdoor recreational opportunities locally.

Mark Morrison, Windham Town Council chair, asked Brooks if funding through the new grant will be used to improve gathering areas by adding picnic tables or other amenities.

Brooks said that will be considered as the town looks at ways to improve the experience for those using Windham trails and parks.

Applying for the grant was also facilitated by Windham’s partnership with the land trust in purchasing the 700-acre East Windham Conservation Area and protected lands and trails in September 2023. That recreational area opened in May and is roughly the size of Bradbury State Park and larger than any state park in Southern Maine.

“It put us on the map so to speak,” Bartell said. <