Parks Commission — Portland, ME
Date: 2026-03-05
Time: 17:00

City of Portland
Parks Commission Agenda

 The mission of the Portland Parks Commission is to advocate for the enhancement and stewardship
 of our parks and open spaces. Review and propose projects that impact parks and open spaces and
 recommend action. Foster collaboration among park users and the City. Promotes public access
 and enjoyment. Advocate for public and private funding for parks and open spaces. Enjoy Portland
 for life.

Commission Members:
Alexis Lopez Del Vecchio, Ashley Burdick, Beth Rabbitt, Donna Gartland, Elizabeth Pagan, Griffin Bourassa,
Jaime Parker, John Clark, Marie Gray, Robert Foster, Sarah Michniewicz (City Councilor), William Elting.
City Staff:
Alex Marshall (Parks Director), Jen DeRice (Parks Assistant Director), Jessica Teesdale (PRF Sr. Executive
Assistant)

 March 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
 On the first Thursday of the month at 5:00 pm, the Portland Parks Commission will hold a meeting at Parks,
Recreation, and Facilities, 212 Canco Rd., Suite A conference room. The Parks Commission will conduct this meeting in
 person. Public comments may only be submitted in person or in writing.
 Livestream link: https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8259/media



To submit written public comment on an agenda item, email ParksCommission@Portlandmaine.gov.
Submissions must be received by 12:00 pm the day before the Parks Commission meeting to guarantee their
inclusion in the agenda packet. All submissions must include the commenter's name and legal address. To help
ensure your comment is submitted for the correct item, please include the name of the agenda item (see below).

I. Call to Order
II. General Citizen Comment Period
III. Agenda Items
 a. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes: November 6, 2025
 b. New Business
 i. Portland Parks Conservancy Strategic Plan
 c. Communications and Updates
 i. Committee Updates

 • Annual Report
 • Special Projects
 • Party in the Park

 ii. Parks Division Report
 iii. Land Bank Commission Report
 d. Commissioner requests for Agenda Items
IV. Adjournment

City of Portland
Parks Commission Agenda

 The mission of the Portland Parks Commission is to advocate for the enhancement and stewardship
 of our parks and open spaces. Review and propose projects that impact parks and open spaces and
 recommend action. Foster collaboration among park users and the City. Promotes public access
 and enjoyment. Advocate for public and private funding for parks and open spaces. Enjoy Portland
 for life.

Commission Members:
Alexis Lopez Del Vecchio, Ashley Burdick, Beth Rabbitt, Donna Gartland, Elizabeth Pagan, Griffin Bourassa,
Jaime Parker, John Clark, Marie Gray, Robert Foster, Sarah Michniewicz (City Councilor), William Elting.
City Staff:
Alex Marshall (Parks Director), Jen DeRice (Parks Assistant Director), Jessica Teesdale (PRF Sr. Executive
Assistant)

 March 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
 On the first Thursday of the month at 5:00 pm, the Portland Parks Commission will hold a meeting at Parks,
Recreation, and Facilities, 212 Canco Rd., Suite A conference room. The Parks Commission will conduct this meeting in
 person. Public comments may only be submitted in person or in writing.
 Livestream link: https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8259/media



To submit written public comment on an agenda item, email ParksCommission@Portlandmaine.gov.
Submissions must be received by 12:00 pm the day before the Parks Commission meeting to guarantee their
inclusion in the agenda packet. All submissions must include the commenter's name and legal address. To help
ensure your comment is submitted for the correct item, please include the name of the agenda item (see below).

I. Call to Order
II. General Citizen Comment Period
III. Agenda Items
 a. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes: November 6, 2025
 b. New Business
 i. Portland Parks Conservancy Strategic Plan
 c. Communications and Updates
 i. Committee Updates

 • Annual Report
 • Special Projects
 • Party in the Park

 ii. Parks Division Report
 iii. Land Bank Commission Report
 d. Commissioner requests for Agenda Items
IV. Adjournment




 Page 1
City of Portland | Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management
Ethan Hipple, Director
Alex Marshall, Director of Parks




Commission Members:
Alexis Lopez Del Vecchio, Ashley Burdick, Beth Rabbitt, David Little, Donna Gartland, Elizabeth
Pagan, Griffin Bourassa, Jaime Parker, John Clark, Marie Gray, Robert Foster, Sarah Michniewicz
(City Councilor), and William Elting.
City Staff: Alex Marshall (Parks Director), Amber Brooks
Guest: Jack Phillips (Portland Parks Conservancy)

Parks Commission November 6, 2025 Meeting Minutes
This meeting was recorded and is available to watch on the Agendas and Meetings Portal Here:
https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7494/media




I. Call to Order B. Rabbit called the meeting to order at 5:04 pm

II. Citizen Comment Period-none

III. Agenda Items

i. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes: September 4, 2025- Motion to accept meeting minutes: J. Clark;
 seconded by M. Gray, passed: unanimously

ii. New Business

a. Back Cove Festival Contributions- A. Marshall, J. Phillips, and J. Parker provide updates and
 answer questions from commissioners.

 ●​ Park safety improvements
 ●​ Traffic Calming and Speed Bumps
 ●​ Front Street side Access improvements
 ●​ Arboretum Drive parking buffer improvements
 ●​ Additional crosswalks and enhancements

b. CIP discussion and vote-

 ●​ B. Rabbit-1.Portland Harbor Common Phase II, 2.Community Garden Beds, 3. Riverton
 Trolley Park trail connections
 ●​ J. Parker-1.Portland Harbor Common Phase II, 2.Back Cove trail, 3. Riveton Trolley Park




 212 Canco Road, Suite A, Portland, Maine 04103 | parkscommission@portlandmaine.gov

 Page 2
 fencing
 ●​ M. Gray- 1. Deering Oaks Pond Wall, 2. Deering Oaks Baseball Lights
 ●​ A. Del Vecchio - 1. Western Prom retaining wall, 2. Back Cove trail, 3. East End Playground
 ●​ D. Gartland- 1. Community Garden raised beds, 2. Portland Harbor Common phase II, 3.
 Back Cove stabilization
 ●​ J. Clark- 1. Back Cove Stabilization, 2. Valley Street/Western Prom retaining wall, 3.
 Community Garden raised beds
 ●​ S. Michniewicz- 1. Portland Harbor Common phase II, 2. Community Garden beds, 3.
 Cutter Street
 ●​ David Little - Abstained



iii. Old Business

a. Officer elections- Motion to keep Beth Rabbitt as chair and Will Elting as co-chair, J. Parker
 seconded by D. Gartland. Passed 8-0 with 1 abstaining.

iv. Communications and Updates

a. Committee updates

Special projects

 Tentative date for the Green Space Gathering set for Thursday, June 18th

 ●​ Street Painting
 ●​ Friends Group and Neighborhood Association tables

​ ​

Outreach

b.Parks Division Report- A. Marshall provided an overview of the Parks Division report and
answered questions from the commission.

c.Land Bank Commission Report-R. Foster was not present to provide a Land Bank Commission
 Report.

v. Commissioner requests for Agenda Items

 ●​ Shelters and grills at Eastern Prom

IV. Adjournment




 212 Canco Road, Suite A, Portland, Maine 04103 | parkscommission@portlandmaine.gov



 Page 3
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​ CITY OF PORTLAND​ CITY OF PORTLAND
​ Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department​ Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department
​ Ethan Hipple, Director​ Alex Marshall, Parks Director


 Memorandum
TO: Parks Commission and Land Bank Commission
FROM: Alex Marshall, Parks Director, Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department
SUBJECT: Parks Division Update
DATE: January/February 2026

Parks Division Staffing
 ●​ Total Budgeted positions in Parks Division: 50
 ●​ Vacancies:

Citywide Unhoused Report
At this time, there are 25 encampments citywide, which is actually 4 more than this date in February of
2025. Of the 25 active tent sites, 7 of them are located on City property. Overall, in 2026, City Staff
(primarily Rangers) have tagged and removed 35 tents citywide. Park Rangers continue to tag and
remove between 5 and 20 tents from City land each week and conduct a thorough clean-up afterward
with the help of other Parks staff or contractors. There continues to be a steady capacity available at the
Homeless Services Center.

Frozen Funk Skating Event
Community Partners and City Staff organized another successful year of the Frozen Funk Skating Event at
Deering Oaks in January, where the largest turnout yet was seen. 500+ people stormed the ice to skate,
dance, and sing. There were rental skates, hot cocoa, lights, music, and excellent energy. Thank you to all
those who worked to make this event happen again.

Stroudwater Bridge Installation
The Stroudwater Bridge was installed on Friday, the 30th. The next aspects of the project are to construct
the wooden ramps leading up to the bridge, which currently sits 5’ above ground level due to the
required height of installation over the river and 100 year flood levels.

Park Projects and Department Updates
Staff are working on the following Park Improvement projects:
 ●​ Deering Oaks Park ADA Walkway improvements: Phase 3, providing ADA access to the wading
 ravine, was completed in the Summer of 2023. Phase 4, which is the sidewalk along Tennis Court
 Drive, is going out to bid for Winter for Spring or Summer 2026 construction.
 ●​ Riverton Preserve: Recreation improvement plans are in progress and will consist primarily of a
 trail network with other improvements. This project is intended to fulfill LWCF conversion
 requirements, and final approval of the improvement plan rests with the state and National Park
 Service, which has a public engagement process.
 ●​ Lower Western Prom Park Improvements: This project has been bid out and did not receive a bid

 212 Canco Road, Suite A • Portland, Maine 04103
 Page 4 • www.portlandmaine.gov
 parkscommission@portlandmaine.gov
​

​ CITY OF PORTLAND​ CITY OF PORTLAND
​ Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department​ Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department
​ Ethan Hipple, Director​ Alex Marshall, Parks Director


 within the allocated budget, so it will be revised and re-advertised in the coming months.
 ●​ Longfellow Elementary School Playground: Playground Equipment has been selected. The project
 went out to bid in the Spring of 2025, only to receive one bid substantially over the budget for
 the project. It went out to bid again this Winter and staff again will be reviewing bids shortly for
 a potential Summer 2026 construction project.
 ●​ Reiche Elementary School Playground: The bids went out in the Fall of 2025, and a contractor
 has been selected to perform the work during the summer break of 2026.
 ●​ Portland Harbor Common: Groundbreaking will happen in the Spring of 2026
 ●​ Public Restrooms: So far, the city has installed 15 new public restrooms citywide over the past 3
 years. Recent modifications were done to the units at The Eastern Promenade, Commercial
 St/Fish Pier, and Fox Field to include a vault for increased storage capacity. 4 more public
 restrooms are on the way, with one at Lower Western Promenade, 1 at the Spring and High
 Street parking lot, and 2 at the Eastern Promenade near the existing bathhouse.
 ●​ Tyng-Tate Playground: Final designs are being completed, and the project bid documents are
 soon to be submitted to the Purchasing Department for review. With the help of a CDBG grant
 allocation in July of 2025, the project should have enough resources to be completed to the
 design's satisfaction.
 ●​ Community Garden Rebuilds: Casco Bay Community Garden is next on the rebuilding list, which
 is being planned for the Spring of 2026. This requirement to rebuild the garden by raising each
 bed and installing a fabric barrier follows the CDC guidelines set forth from soil testing in 2024.
 ●​ Riverton Trolley Park Recreation Improvement Project: The bid documents for the Riverton
 Trolley Park Parking Lot improvements are being finalized and are scheduled to be advertised
 later in January for an anticipated Spring 2026 construction schedule. Once complete, the final
 step in completing the LWCF project requirements would be installing the remaining signage that
 has already been fabricated.
 ●​ Fore River Kayak Launch: The Land Bank has allocated funding to install a kayak launch at the
 head of the Fore River in Stroudwater Park at the corner of Congress and Waldo Streets. Parks
 Staff are exploring the options for this launch to help formalize and improve an existing use in
 this space.
 ●​ Trinity Park Reconstruction: Trinity Church Representatives and City Staff have been working to
 finalize the construction documents and design for Trinity Park. The next step is to create bid
 documents and work through the private contribution acceptance process before we are able to
 go out to bid on the project.




 212 Canco Road, Suite A • Portland, Maine 04103
 Page 5 • www.portlandmaine.gov
 parkscommission@portlandmaine.gov