As supporters of community sailing and waterfront access in Portland, we are disappointed that SailMaine has not been included in the planning process of Portland Harbor Common and Portland’s eastern waterfront.
Each in a Cape Cod Frosty, two young racers look for room to maneuver around a mark during a race put on by the Portland Parks and Rec Department’s Junior Sailing Program in Casco Bay in 2001. Portland Parks and Rec is one of the partner organizations of nonprofits like SailMaine that need waterfront access. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, File
At the Portland Harbor Common Public Forum on June 15, city planners shared a design proposed for the eastern waterfront by a local team. The design presented indicates the removal of all space for the operations of Sail Maine and other water-based nonprofits. The omission of these programs from this design and their exclusion from the planning discussions is unacceptable. To see the small space these programs currently occupy being replaced with another “open plaza” is shocking to their broad community of participants and supporters.
No matter how preliminary a plan this is, any vision that depicts the removal of well-established, mission-based and beloved programs, which have been drawing community members and visitors alike to the area for years, is cause for serious concern. SailMaine, Rippleffect and Friends of Fort Gorges are part of the fabric of this vibrant waterfront community; these programs and the community access to Portland’s waterfront that they provide should be at the forefront of any development initiative.
As the Planning Board moves forward, SailMaine and other community partners should be at the table. This will ensure that:
• Access to sailing, water sports and programming on Casco Bay will remain available to all Portland residents and visitors.
• Valuable community programs such as SailMaine, Rippleffect and Friends of Fort Gorges can continue to thrive and expand their reach.
• Partner organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, Portland Community Squash, Portland Parks and Rec, Welcoming the Stranger and the East End Community School, among others, will continue to have free access to sailing through SailMaine.
• Sailing teams from eight area high schools will continue to have access to team facilities, introducing new sailors to the sport and teaching resiliency, flexibility and sportsmanship.
• The Portland waterfront will continue to be a destination for high school sailing programs throughout New England and across the country via the competitive high school regattas hosted by SailMaine.
• Adaptive sailing programs will continue to operate daily, offering new and experienced sailors with disabilities equal access to the water.
• Leadership programming, offered to elementary, middle and high schoolers throughout southern Maine, will continue to run through Rippleffect.
• Our waterfront will remain a vibrant centerpiece of our community 12 months a year – not just a marina for wealthy summer visitors.
The goal of the Portland Harbor Common Plan, according to the team that crafted it, is to “offer the city a framework for a signature piece of public land – one that will complement its working waterfront, leverage recent investments in public infrastructure, increase public access to the eastern waterfront, support a variety of public activities and add to a vibrant city.”
The community organizations currently in operation on the eastern waterfront have invaluable experience bringing this goal to life. Right now, SailMaine and Rippleffect are preparing for summer programming that will bring the working waterfront to life for hundreds, if not thousands, of Maine kids. More than 55 percent of Rippleffect’s youth participants receive scholarship assistance. And programming is not just for kids – SailMaine’s Learn to Sail program gives all southern Maine residents the opportunity to take part in one of Maine’s great maritime traditions.
A commitment to community water access is not just good for residents of the Portland area – it also positions Portland with other vibrant destinations on the East Coast and beyond. The Portland Planning Board should prioritize community water access and marine activities before moving forward with the development plan. The planning process should include stakeholders from the community organizations that have offered these commodities on the eastern waterfront for more than 20 years. These resources are too valuable to be afterthoughts.
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