The Denmark Lions Club together with the Denmark Arts Center has raised more than $78,000 in cash and pledges of the $150,000 necessary to create a public waterfront park in the middle of Denmark Village.
Mark Allen, secretary of the Denmark Lions Club and a member of the Denmark Park Project Committee said the Lions Club recently purchased the 1.5-acre waterfront parcel known as the old Denmark Marina. The transfer of property took place in April.
The previous owner contributed $15,000 to the fund-raising efforts at closing. Hopes are to complete the fundraising, make improvements to the site and present the newly created park to the town as part of Denmark’s bicentennial celebration in 2007.
The park location is adjacent to the town-owned dam site, in the middle of the village. A parking lot planned for the 229 feet of road frontage on Route 160 is earmarked for use by the Denmark Arts Center. Plans are to level the property, add a parking lot and picnic area, install a dock donated by Great Northern Docks, and raze the old marina barn which should open up views of the stone bridge and Moose Pond to the north. Cabins to Castles is donating time and equipment to make improvements to the site.
In April, the Denmark Lions Club received the Lions organization’s outstanding community service award of the year in District 41-L for the park project. Maine’s Lions Clubs are divided into two districts. District 41-L incorporates 41 Lions Clubs throughout Maine.
Community support is overwhelming even though the Denmark Park Project committee has been fund-raising for only six months.
“That it’s gotten this far this fast is the best scenario you can hope for,” said Henry Banks, a founder of the Denmark Arts Center who is also a Denmark Lions Club member and meeting chair for the Park Project Committee.
The majority of funding thus far is from grass roots networking.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of community support for this project. People like the idea of preserving the waterfront property,” said Carol Rhoads, a member of the Denmark Arts Center board of directors and publicity director for the Denmark Parks Project committee.
A mailer to Denmark friends, residents and property owners raised $16,000. Returns on a second mailer sent out recently to Moose Pond residents are not yet tallied. Proceeds from a yard sale held May 27 and 28 at the park site will go to the park project.
Ace Insurance donated a 32-inch LCD TV and Complete Paddler donated a Wilderness Systems Pamlico 120 kayak or $500 gift certificate. Raffle tickets are on sale for the donated items through members of the Lions Club and Arts Center. The drawing is slated for the Annual Lions Club Bean Hole Supper scheduled for July 8.
The time frame for giving the park to the town depends on two things: the continued success of fundraising efforts and the program developed for Denmark’s bicentennial celebration.
Planning for the Bicentennial is still in the very early stages of organization. Bicentennial Committee head Ginger Palme said although nothing is definite, hopes are to have a community supper and historical photo and memorabilia exhibit in March of 2007 and to extend the 4th of July celebration to include bicentennial events. Denmark was incorporated as a town on March 23, 1807.
Contributions to the Park Project can be sent to the Denmark Charitable Foundation (earmarked “Denmark Park Project”), P.O. Box 109, Denmark, ME 04022. Donations are tax deductible.
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