SUN JOURNAL • February 28, 2025
The city is nearing the start of major upgrades to the riverfront and Simard-Payne Memorial Park worth more than $5 million, likely to be set in motion during budget talks this spring. The list of projects, including a community pavilion in the park and overlooks and steps down to the canal along Oxford Street, are part of the city’s Riverfront Island Master Plan. In early 2024, the city received nearly $4 million in federal funding toward the improvements. City leaders are hoping to encourage more recreational use on the riverfront, but also new economic activity to capitalize on the coming development of Maine MILL, which stands for Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor.