Pavilion Planned for Portland's Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park in Portland provides local residents with access to nature with walking trails near the Connecticut River and a new meadow with picnic tables that have water views.  A citizens group, the Brownstone Quorum has worked with the town marking the trails, preparing and seeding the meadow and planting donated trees and shrubs. For next year, a new attraction will be in store.

Portland First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield says the town has recently secured a $200,000 state grant from the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP). It will pay for an open pavilion that will be rectangular, about 40 feet by 60 feet in size.  It will be placed on top of a slight hill further inland from the meadow, but because of the added height, it's expected that people using it will have stunning views of the river and the shore of Cromwell. 

The pavilion will have water and electricity. Inside, there will be seats and tables, a small sink with faucets and a drinking fountain. There will also be some lighting installed.  In the rear will be separate rest rooms for men and women with flushable toilets.  Construction is expected to start in late August with completion expected in time for the summer season in 2012.  

Most times during the season the pavilion will be open to all for picnics or to rest and watch the river. Bransfield said the pavilion also will be available for groups to rent for private parties or special events. The parks and recreation department will supervise the facility and handle bookings.  

According the Bransfield, the town is taking advantage of a centralized bid process run by the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CROG). Once a town fills out an agreement, a town official can get staff assistance to file bids and describe the work needed.  The process is used for small- to medium-sized construction projects. Towns get competitive bids for all work and materials needed to complete a project. CROG claims the one-stop system saves money and time. The organization named the system EZIQC.

Bransfield explains it will save Portland money because it won't have to pay for advertising and hiring certain experts each time a bid for materials is required. The kind of pavilion being selected will probably be a prefabricated kit with many of the parts included. Bransfield says the town is in talks with a possible contractor.

While the pavilion is on the way, another piece is not. Originally, the concept included an amphitheater that would have gone on the opposite side of the hill. Bransfield said the town requested $500,000 but since the award was less than half that amount, the theater plan will be shelved for now.

Two earlier STEAP grants in 2008 and 2010 enabled the town to connect Middlesex and Brownstone Avenues. The improvement benefits both the Riverside Park and the nearby recreational facility in the brownstone quarry.

The first grant for road construction and a water main totaled $326,000. The second grant provided $200,000 for sidewalks and a new parking lot.  Bransfield says the work on Middlesex Avenue provides a new entrance to the parks by providing easier access from Main Street. The state money also paid for signage for the parks.

She notes the overall project has generated successful economic development with the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park operated in the large water filled quarry.

Activities at the 28 acre quarry include swimming, kayaking, a long steep slide with a drop to the water, scuba diving and wakeboarding. It's estimated 40,000 people used the facility last year, with the town getting 15 percent of the gate, yielding $165,000 dollars for the town.  Bransfield says the proceeds go to Portland's general fund.  

The Discovery Park will officially kick off the 2011 season on Memorial Day weekend and stay open through October. 

Another item in the original grand plan for the Riverfront Park continues to be elusive, and that is a site for a town boat launch and docks to tie up to. The shore terrain near the parks, along with industrial activity facing the river, makes it difficult to build piers and a boat launch nearby. Bransfield says a second plan would have used a piece of town property on the river near Airline Avenue. It was rejected when a study of the site showed it would be impossible at times to gain access to the shore because of wetlands and heavy brush. Authorities also said it would have been difficult to patrol. Bransfield said perhaps the most logical site was a third option at the firemen's grounds at the end of Indian Hill Avenue. But a State Department of Environmental Protection review showed activity with boats might adversely impact certain habitats on Gildersleeve Island a short distance away. The report cited an endangered species of beetle on the island, according to Bransfield. 

All the activity near the quarries and surrounding land went into high gear about 11 years ago when all the abandoned quarries in Portland were designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. About the same time, the town secured the sites by buying the properties they were on.