MADAWASKA, Maine — Residents will get a chance to give feedback about new developments at the town’s Bicentennial Park during a Jan. 9 informational meeting.
Officials and community members have spent several years working to make Madawaska’s Bicentennial Park a central downtown location, according to Town Manager David Daigle. The park is one of the first areas people see when driving into town via the newly constructed international bridge and port of entry.
The park currently contains a veterans memorial and children’s park area.
Daigle said town officials and a Bicentennial Park Committee are looking at raising money to build a new Acadian Pavilion, that would replace a gazebo that was recently removed.
The pavilion would be used during the town’s “Music in the Park” series, which lasts throughout the summer and features local musicians.
“The town has made a commitment to start building the pavilion during the 2025 construction season,” Daigle said. “Specific corporate donations are currently being sought to help finance the pavilion construction, and the [Bicentennial Park] Committee will be discussing other ways to fund future park development projects.”
In November, Madawaska’s selectboard voted to spend $4,500 for conceptual design work for the Bicentennial Park area. The money, which will come out of the town’s road reserve account, would help add the area to Madawaska’s Village Partnership Initiative project.
The project is a chance for towns to revitalize their downtown and village center areas by improving pedestrian accessibility, gateway signage, and ADA compliance. It is primarily funded through the state and federal Department of Transportation, with communities only responsible for 10 percent of the costs.
In Madawaska’s case, the entire project is estimated to cost about $20 million but the town would pay a little more than $2 million. Madawaska has not had a downtown revitalization since the 1980s.
During the upcoming meeting, officials will share a conceptual rendering designed by Carol Botelho, who is an architect with Sao Paulo-based Trae Studio Arquitera & Design.
Botelho is a former Madawaska exchange student, according to Daigle.
The town shared a link to a YouTube video on its website with a rendering of what the park could look like once completed.
The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Madawaska Town Office at 328 Thomas St.
