Portland preserves 27 acres of open space for public use

Portland has preserved 27 acres of land as public open space, town introduced in a information free up Monday.

The forested parcel at 204 Rand Road has been a preservation precedence for town’s Land Bank Commission, which is charged with holding and increasing public open space. The acquisition is helping succeed in town’s purpose of making sure that publicly obtainable open space is to be had to all citizens inside a 10-minute stroll from their houses, in keeping with Pat Bailey, fee chair.

“We think this is a huge addition to open space” in Portland, Bailey mentioned.

The parcel used to be bought from the Avangrid Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the global power corporate that owns Central Maine Power Co. The land shall be added to current preserves on the Fore River Sanctuary and Jewell Falls, town mentioned.

The acquire used to be authorized via the City Council in November. The gross sales value used to be $325,000, however the town best spent $50,000 to obtain it as a result of Avangrid gave town a $275,000 credit score towards the ultimate prices, in keeping with town data.

“At the Avangrid Foundation, we look for unique opportunities to partner with our local communities and pursue our mission of environmental stewardship, and this was the perfect opportunity to do both,” Avangrid Foundation Executive Director Nicole Licata Grant mentioned in a written observation.

Bailey mentioned the Land Bank, like town’s Public Art Committee, is funded thru a chosen appropriation equivalent to at least one part of 1 p.c of town’s Capital Improvement Project price range.

The land partially overlaps the Fore River Sanctuary and incorporates fashionable strolling trails which are maintained via Portland Trails and can now be publicly owned and preserved.

Trails at the newly obtained assets can also be accessed on Rowe Avenue, Starbird Land and Rand Road. Public get entry to to the valuables additionally will proceed thru hyperlinks to the wider path community maintained via Portland Trails, which can also be reached from Rowe Avenue, Starbird Land and Rand Road.

The town mentioned in a information free up that the various land quilt, topography and soil kind make the world necessary for the regional waft for species transferring to conform to local weather alternate. Development would no longer best constitute the loss of a possibility to give protection to a singular and necessary herbal space, it might degrade the price of adjoining conservation lands via fragmenting the massive undeveloped acreage, it mentioned.

“This is a big deal for Portland to be able to preserve this 27-acre parcel that helps the city accomplish so many goals at once – from preserving our existing tree canopy and habitat areas, to getting us closer to 100 percent of our residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park or trail, to creating outdoor recreation and exercise opportunities for walkers, bikers, students, commuters, and dog-walkers,” Parks, Recreation & Facilities Director Ethan Hipple mentioned in a written observation. “One hundred years from now, when Portland may have grown or changed so much, residents will be thankful that this gem of a property was set aside for the public to share and enjoy forever.”

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