STOCKHOLM, Maine — Big things are happening in Stockholm, a small town with a population just over 200. Town officials are hosting a “Fun and Frolic” event beginning at 1 p.m. on March 3 at the Stockholm Community Center to celebrate numerous community development plans and a $73,800 grant from the state to build a new boat launch.
The event, which is open to the public, will feature sledding, skiing, snowshoeing, soup, coffee, and a 3 p.m. presentation on the town’s future development plans.
Many of the projects have been in the works for nearly a decade, beginning in 2009 when the town adopted a comprehensive plan to develop natural resources to improve the local quality of life and economic growth of the town.
According to Dave Strainge of the Stockholm Planning Board, 2009 Selectman Mike Sandstrom was “very instrumental in the comprehensive planning process,” which became “something of an obsession.”
Sandstrom recruited numerous community members who have all contributed to the rewards the town is “now beginning to harvest.”
In addition to improving access to the Madawaska Stream via a handicap-accessible boat landing, other plans include developing the downtown recreation trail for year-round use by “walkers, hikers, skiers, snowshoers, bikers, and picnickers.”
Strainge said the new boat landing is the first phase of the town’s development plans, and that while listening to community ideas, “a very consistent theme came up that we should develop these recreational resources, and encourage the vision that Stockholm is a good place for outdoor activities like snowmobiling, fishing, and canoeing.”
As a result, the new boat landing will be the first piece in this development plan. Strainge said the town does have a boat landing, but that it has unfortunately “deteriorated over time,” and needs replacement.
The boat landing project itself is projected to cost $150,000, with about half to be covered by the grant from the Maine Boating Facilities Program. Strainge said the community has a number of efforts in motion to fund the remainder.
“We’ve got a very good start,” he said. “One of our local citizens [Fred Anderson] passed a few years ago and left some money with their family, [who then] set up a fund in the Maine Community Foundation. They’re going to provide up to $25,000 in a 50/50 grant. The town has also authorized up to $10,000 out of town coffers, and we are in the middle of initiating a fundraising effort for the rest of the money.”
Anderson’s daughter, Suzy Anderson, who co-owns Anderson’s Store in Stockholm, also donated ten acres of land previously owned by her father.
Anderson said her father used to “walk all the time,” and that he wanted to have a safe space to walk along the road, particularly during winter months.
Strainge attested to this, and said Fred was physically active into his 90s.
Before his passing, Anderson said she purchased the ten acres of land from him and that once she learned of the town’s development plans, the decision to donate was obvious.
Since these plans emphasize outdoor activities such as walking, biking, and hiking, Anderson said its usage would easily coincide with something her father had wanted within the town.
In November 2017, members of the town voted to name the gifted land the Frederick J. and Merrita D. Anderson Memorial Recreation Area, after Anderson’s parents.
Their philanthropy has since inspired a team of dedicated volunteers to raise “at least $25,000” to support the boat landing project, which is set to begin this summer and to be “completed in the fall during low water conditions.”
Civil engineers at B. R. Smith Associates in Presque Isle have already developed plans for the project, and BRSA President Tim Roix said he believes the boat landing is “a great addition to the community,” as well as “something everyone will be able to use for years.”
Roix said the boat landing will be built on a parcel of land adjacent to the stream that connects a great deal of traffic to the area.
“The boat landing will include a parking area for vehicles to offload, with concrete planks extending into the stream to assist in launching boats,” he said, adding that the landing will include a “handicap accessible spot for boats” as well.
Roix and Strainge both said that the construction is likely to start this summer.
“It’s dependent on water flow,” Roix said. “They have partial funding with the grant, and they’re looking at some of their own in-house needs to bridge the gap, but once weather improves and the river is down, they’re looking at putting the project out to bid and getting a contractor on board to install the entire boat landing.”
Susan Anderson is optimistic about the project, and is excited to see her donated land put to good use.
“I think it’s great,” she said, “because the town has a canoe race every Spring and that’s going to be quite an event. A lot of people find it very, very hard getting out of there, because of limited parking, and having to walk up a steep bank, so having a landing for a kayak or canoe makes a lot of sense, and will make it a better place.”
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- Children and adults build snowmen during Stockholm’s March 3 ‘Fun and Frolic’ event, which featured a variety of outdoor activities and highlighted upcoming developments within the town. (Courtesy of Herb Lausier)
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- Two Stockholm residents prepare to go snowshoeing during the town’s March 3 Fun and Frolic event. (Courtesy of Herb Lausier)
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- A child is pulled on a sled during Stockholm’s March 3 Fun and Frolic event, celebrating recent developments within the town. (Courtesy of Herb Lausier)
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- A Stockholm woman prepares to go skiing during the town’s March 3 ‘Fun and Frolic’ event. (Courtesy of Herb Lausier)
