MILLINOCKET, Maine — Josh Stevens wants to build a tri-town community garden at the former Rice Farm property. Amy Collinsworth is revitalizing Hillcrest Park. Others are designing a farmers market, planning to hang banners downtown or looking for a park where they can show movies during the summer.
The volunteer efforts are all about restoring the Katahdin region and Millinocket, a northern Penobscot County town hard hit by the loss of the region’s two paper mills. The projects are among several started after a Virginia economic development firm recommended in January that Millinocket increase taxes, beautify itself, consolidate schools, aggressively seek grants and create a regional economic development strategy based on open public land and tourism.
Town leaders will decide while they assemble the town’s 2015-16 budget whether to hire another economic development consultant, according to Councilor Jimmy Busque. In the meantime, the volunteer efforts show how much residents want to improve their town.
“With all the negativity going on around us, this is all locals trying to move us in a good direction and further community pride. I’ve never seen this much effort on a volunteer level — so many different projects,” Busque said Wednesday. “It’s all good things.”
Collinsworth, a 25-year-old resident and credit union marketing specialist, is — like Stevens — fundraising through OurKatahdin.com, a website started by Nancy and Sean DeWitt to support the Katahdin region. The nonprofit organization has opened accounts at Katahdin Federal Credit Union and Bangor Savings Bank for donations, DeWitt said.
Other volunteer efforts completed or underway include the restoration of the downtown bandstand, the busing of residents to Stearns High School tournament basketball games, the establishment of cross-country ski trails at Hillcrest Golf Course, an alumni basketball tournament that raised money for high school athletic programs and a farmers market at a location yet to be determined, officials said.
Collinsworth, who held the basketball tournament in December, hopes to revitalize the park, which is on Cottage Road near the golf course. Her plans include a resurfaced basketball court, an outdoor fitness center and a rope-climbing course and slides. The council voted 6-0 on March 12 to support her plan, officials said.
“In that report, they basically talk about the need to restore what you have and make it beautiful. In my eyes, that’s 100 percent correct. But it is not my job to bring in jobs. I am not going be talking to investors,” Collinsworth said. “I am doing what I know I can do: I know how to build a playground and make things pretty.”
Stevens, a 39-year-old organic gardening consultant, said he hopes his community vegetable garden will draw East Millinocket and Medway residents to Millinocket and eventually form the basis of a working farm or agribusiness. Leaders in those towns have approved of his plan to build the garden on land donated by Katahdin Forest Management, which owns the parcel.
“The towns are so divided, I thought it would be a good way to bring people together and have them work together and see the progress throughout the summer,” Stevens said. “We are hoping to be able to provide local food banks and local farm stands some produce to help fund the project next year.”
Millinocket’s public works department, Maine Heritage Timber, Kelley’s Mobile Home Park owner Jim Kelley and Lane Construction have agreed to donate loam, hay, asphalt, trees or labor to Collinsworth’s project, Collinsworth said.
All volunteer projects will help the town grow, she said.
“If you want businesses to come to Millinocket, you better show them why they should invest in Millinocket,” Collinsworth said.