PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 31, 2024
Half of American adults report feeling lonely. Fortunately, communities of all sizes have a key tool already in place that can help: public parks. Unfortunately, the federal government currently applies a high population threshold when funding parks. Cities must be larger than 30,000 residents, which means only Portland, Lewiston and Bangor are eligible in Maine. The Outdoors for All Act would lower the threshold to 25,000 residents for cities seeking park funding through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership. ~ Betsy Cook, Maine state director, Trust for Public Land