WATERVILLE — The city council this week took the first step in accepting a $385,000 grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation to buy snowmaking equipment for Quarry Road Recreation Area.
The council voted 6-1 Wednesday to accept the grant, but must take two more votes on the proposal before it’s official. Councilor John O’Donnell, D-Ward 5, voted against accepting the money Wednesday, saying he is concerned the city may not be able to meet the conditions of the Alfond gift.
A letter to the city from the foundation acknowledges that the city anticipates a total cost for Phase III of the Quarry Road project to be $1.5 million, but that funding is still $515,000 short. The letter also points out the phase includes the snowmaking equipment, purchase of property and construction of a new trail, lighting, community and maintenance buildings, electricity, road and parking.
“Accordingly, the city and/or its partners will make good faith efforts to raise additional dollars for successful completion of the project,” says the letter signed by Gregory W. Powell.
O’Donnell said he was concerned about the shortfall.
“What happens if we don’t come up with the $515,000?” he asked. “Is Harold Alfond going to back off?”
City Manager Michael Roy said if the shortfall is not met, the city could hold off on constructing the community and maintenance buildings.
But O’Donnell, a lawyer, said he thinks the Alfond contract requires those buildings be built.
He said he loves the Quarry Road project and has supported it all along, including voting for the city’s borrowing $200,000 for it.
“It just seems to me if we have a $500,000 hole there that the city might be liable for, it puts it all in a whole different light,” O’Donnell said.
John Koons, who spearheaded the Quarry Road project with Roy, said Phase III includes a wish list. The recreation area needs a community building, but not immediately.
“We had to put it in the application,” he said. “We’re not obligated to that community building.”
Roy said he was very comfortable that, if the city does not have money for a community building, the Alfond money will not be jeopardized.
In a related matter, councilors voted to provide up to $100,000 for construction of the new trail at Quarry Road, with the money to be repaid by Colby College over three years. Colby pledged $100,000 for that purpose.
The new trail will be a 5k competition-level cross country ski trail.
In other matters Wednesday, councilors voted to award a $134,505 contract to H.P. Fairfield of Skowhegan for a mechanical street sweeper. They also voted to buy a $56,432 refuse compactor body from H.P. Fairfield and make a final payment of $4,941 to Nitram Excavation for construction of a $251,000 snow dump off College Avenue.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
