Town of Windham to create Pine Grove pocket park

By Ed Pierce

If everything goes as expected, Windham could have a new pocket park by this fall.

A depiction is shown of the new Pine Grove Park to be built
on a vacant town lot between the Forbes Lane and Misty
Drive neighborhoods off Varney Mill Road in Windham 
with a Community Development Block Grant awarded
to the town by Cumberland County. COURTESY PHOTO

In January 2025, the Windham Town Council endorsed an application for Community Development Block Grant funding from Cumberland County to create a pocket park for the Forbes Lane and Misty Drive neighborhoods on a town-owned vacant lot off Varney Mill Road. That was followed in April 2025 by the county awarding Windham $40,000 in CDBG funds with a funding match of $10,000 for the grant approved by town councilors and then voters as part of the 2026-2027 municipal budget during the Annual Town Meeting in June.

A pocket park is defined as a small park accessible to residents and the public which can be used for recreational purposes including picnic tables, benches, flower beds and greenery.

Councilors then established an ad hoc community committee to research and explore the development of a pocket park in the Forbes Lane and Misty Drive area. Committee members were asked to develop a concept plan for the 1.33-acre parcel with trails suitable for walking and biking to serve area residents and the public as well as optional picnic benches and recreational amenities suitably sized for the lot.

The CDBG funding from Cumberland County was subject to an environmental review to ensure compliance with the State Historic Preservation Office, local Historic Preservation Ordinances and other environmental regulations. Community Development Block Grants support community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities. Activities may address needs such as infrastructure, economic development projects, public facilities installation, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code enforcement, and homeowner assistance.

During a Windham Town Council meeting in May, committee members made recommendations to the town council for the project including a walking and biking path connecting surrounding neighborhoods, a small wooden playground area for children, picnic tables and benches, and open space for gathering and informal recreation.

Committee Chair Lindsay Conrad told the council that an online survey was conducted in February distributed door-to-door and publicized through social media and on the Town and Parks and Recreation Department's websites. That was followed by a community forum held that same month at Windham Town Hall. Feedback from those community tools along with discussions held by the committee resulted in the formulation of a concept plan for the new pocket park.

The committee was made up of six members who reside on Forbes Lane or Misty Drive; two Windham staff members; and a member of the Windham Town Council. Members included Conrad, Amie Earley, David Joy, Megan Potter, Steve Clauson, Tena Linsbeck-Perron, Windham employees Linda Brooks and Jason Hanken, and Windham Town Council Chair Mark Morrison.

Conrad thanked committee members for serving and helping to create recommendations for the new park. 

“It was really important for us, the residents, to develop what this would look like,” Conrad said.

Windham Parks and Recreation Director Linda Brooks said the new pocket park will be a great addition for both the town and the Misty Drive and Forbes Lane neighborhoods.

“This project was definitely considered part of the Open Space Plan, and a goal of the Open Space Plan is to start developing these neighborhood parks,” Brooks said. “This is a great model to follow because these people are so invested in what’s coming into their neighborhood. I think we can already see they will be great stewards of what gets developed there.”

According to Conrad, the biggest issues that committee members tackled in creating recommendations for the park are a lack of privacy for neighbors whose property borders the park site, a desire to retain the wooded nature of the lot, and a lack of available parking.

She said to address that committee members recommended creating a 10-foot buffer around the property and determined that parking won’t be a significant problem because the park will be mostly used by people who live nearby and can walk there. As many trees as possible will be kept while installing the park.

Windham Assistant Town Manager Amanda Lessard said the development of Pine Grove Park does not exceed the threshold to require a Windham Planning Board site plan review.

“The Board of Appeals will need to review a conditional use application for the outdoor recreation facility prior to the installation of the play structure, hopefully at a ZBA meeting in August,” Lessard said. “The materials and equipment as recommended by the Committee have been ordered with installation expected in the fall. A grand opening celebration will be scheduled after installation.”

Once completed, the park will be maintained by the Windham Parks and Recreation Department. <

Town hopes sidewalk improvements spur South Windham growth

By Ed Pierce

The revitalization of South Windham is yet another step closer after members of the Windham Town council have endorsed submission of an application for Community Development Block Grant funds to move forward with a concept planning study for sidewalk reconstruction in the area.

A project to rebuild an existing sidewalk along the east side of
Main Street from the Mountain Division Trail to Depot Street
and on the west side from the railroad tracks to Depot Street
is intended to improve safety for pedestrians and help spur
economic growth in South Windham Village.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

Town councilors approved the application during a December meeting and the application is expected to be completed and submitted by the end of January. The proposed concept planning study would review the most cost-effective way to reconstruct existing sidewalks and construct new sidewalks running from Depot Street in South Windham to the Mountain Division Trail.

Town Manager Barry Tibbetts told councilors that the proposed sidewalk improvements are intended to improve safety for pedestrians in South Windham and boost economic growth along Main Street there.

According to Tibbetts, the project would rebuild some 1,250 feet of existing sidewalk along the east side of Main Street from the Blue Seal store near the Mountain Division Trail crossing to Depot Street in the center of South Windham Village.

He said other planned improvements would replace old and failing retaining walls along the 1,250-foot section of rebuilt sidewalk on the east side of Main Street and to install pedestrian lighting along that same 1,250-foot section of rebuilt sidewalk.

The project would also create 1,250 feet of new 5-foot-wide paved sidewalk with granite curbing along the west side of Main Street from the Mountain Division Trail crossing to Depot Street in the center of South Windham Village.

During last June’s Annual Town Meeting, Windham voters authorized a $275,000 bond for creation of a sidewalk from Blue Seal Feed on Gray Road to Depot Street in South Windham sometime in 2024 or 2025.

The new sidewalk coincides with a project that was completed last fall that repaved the parking lot at the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District at 35 Main St. in South Windham which shares a driveway with the town’s South Windham Fire Station. Reconfiguring the parking lot was a collaborative effort between Cumberland County, the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Town of Windham.

The town approached the Soil and Water Conservation District several years ago with the idea that a multi-use parking lot could benefit all interests in South Windham. Tenants of the Soil and Water Conservation District building, hikers using nearby trails, individuals using nearby businesses, and the town itself have benefitted from the updated parking lot.

“Back when we first looked at this, we originally looked at entrance issues in that area,” Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said. “We thought we could work a partnership short-term, to fix the entrance problems and repave the driveway for parking but it turned out to be so much more.”

Windham councilors unanimously voted in December 2020 to sell the old vacant South Windham Fire Station at 8 Main St. for $125,000 to Great Falls Construction of Gorham, owned by Jon and Cindy Smith. They plan to turn the property into a brewhouse and restaurant.

South Windham Village itself was once a thriving industrial and commercial location because of its access to Maine Central railroad and situated near the Presumpscot River but today the area is mostly residential and town councilors and the Windham Economic Development Corporation are seeking for ways to spur economic growth there.

Last fall, an agreement was announced to clean up and demolish the old Keddy Mill site at 7 Depot St. in South Windham under an initiative to protect human health and the environment. Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and ITT LLC, the company responsible for the 6.93-acre Keddy Mill site say that the former industrial building on the site will be razed and contaminated materials there will be removed.

In the past year, Windham and Gorham have agreed to collaborate on a master plan focused on developing a community guided vision for the villages of South Windham and Little Falls. <