YORK, Maine – A new initiative to inexpensively beautify the city is currently underway as the Planning Department plans to create small parks around York.
A new park area is being built on the corner of Railroad Avenue near Beach Bliss Café and York’s Wild Kingdom, where tourists can sit in the shade and even enjoy some games played on temporary grass. The park will be open for just one month and will serve as a pilot project for what city planner DeCarlo Brown called an opportunity to improve pedestrian areas with little effort or resources.
“This is about pilot projects that won’t break the bank,” Brown told the Selectboard on Monday.
The proposed park would cost less than $1,000, he said.
Small parks are currently being planned in other parts of the city as the Planning Department identifies other corners of York that may have previously gone unnoticed. Selectboard members said they supported the initiative after recently hearing from residents about keeping costs down.
“The sooner the better,” said Selectboard Chairman Todd Frederick.
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New small park aims to address pedestrian safety and lack of shade
Brown said the city would save costs on creating the small parks by using existing city resources. He said the idea for the small parks came about because more people want to spend time outdoors.
“The idea came about because of COVID to create small public parks very quickly and without much funding,” Brown said.
In a brief presentation, Brown showed schematics of the proposed park at the corner where Railroad Avenue turns left, past York’s Wild Kingdom and the York Beach Fire Station.
“There is no respite from the sun,” Brown said of the area. “The only way to escape the sun is to go to a store and pay money for (something).”
Brown noted that pedestrians often find themselves near traffic, particularly in the section of Railroad Avenue near Beach Bliss Café, where there is no crosswalk.
To address these problems, Brown said the plan is to create a small park in the corner between York’s Wild Kingdom and Beach Bliss Café, with a crosswalk painted in the section without a sidewalk. The park could have grass, tables, some shade and games, Brown said. In the plan submitted to the Selectboard, a picture of a cornhole-like game was placed in the area where the grass would be.
“You put a couple of games there, buy some shade for, again, $100 and a little change, and buy some seats for $100,” Brown said. “And you’ve got a little park in no time.”
Brown said the park would use Jersey barriers, which would only be used during the cold off-season. Wooden pallets and planters would decorate the barriers, giving them a garden-like appearance.
Brown said the project has been reviewed by the Department of Buildings and Construction and could begin in as little as a week.
“If it doesn’t work, no problem, no foul,” Brown said. “If they don’t like it, take it away and never do it again.”
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Selectboard responds positively to the idea of a small park in York Beach
Board members responded positively to the idea. Select board member Marilyn McLaughlin called it “beautiful” and noted that small parks are common in New York City.
Author Rosemary O’Brien, author of the book “Best Pocket Parks of NYC,” wrote in an article on untappedcities.com that pocket parks date back to 1964, when the Park Association of New York City came together to support the creation of public green spaces, or “vest pocket parks.” She wrote that they took advantage of the city’s small, unused, overgrown lots.
Board member Marla Johnson said she was excited about the idea of small parks and found it “creative.” Board member Robert Palmer said he appreciated that the future parks would not be a major commitment to the city.
“It’s a creative idea,” Palmer said. “If people don’t like it, you take it down. Then you don’t do it again.”
After the meeting, Frederick said he was looking forward to learning where else the planning department could find solutions through well-designed small parks.
“There is not enough money for a really interesting and entertaining facility,” said Frederick.
