The city of Ellsworth moved a step closer toward revitalizing its waterfront this month by buying an option on a downtown shorefront parcel that recently housed a car dealership. If the city succeeds in purchasing the property, the lot would be converted into a public green space on the Union River.
By paying $25,000 for an option, the city has one year to raise grants for the total purchase price of 1.2 million dollars. The two-acre lot is being sold by Morrison’s Chevrolet.
Ellsworth city manager Stephen Gunty believes acquiring the Morrison lot might be the domino that allows Ellsworth’s waterfront development plan to fall into place.
“It would help to anchor the waterfront of the town,” he said.
The lot is located centrally between the town’s Harbor Park and the public library’s shorefront footpath. Private businesses and a homeless shelter occupy the remaining properties along the river.
Gunty envisions converting the property into a recreational park for picnics, fishing and events. There would be no expanded boating opportunities at the park, however, as the river is too shallow and rapid to be navigable there.
The large building on the lot isn’t in the city’s plans, but Gunty is hopeful the city won’t have to pay for its removal.
“We think we can sell the building,” Gunty said. “Our demolition costs would be nothing.”
Acquisition of the Morrison lot was one of the major recommendations to come out of the town’s 2002 waterfront development plan. The plan asserted the need for redevelopment along the Union River, characterizing the current riverfront as “marginal buildings and unorganized haphazard parking lots.” The goal would be to create an area for “a mix of retail service, office, residential, and cultural/institutional uses.”
The plan called for the city to create a walking trail that would connect the nearby Indian Point nature preserve, the Harbor Park and the library. It also recommended improved marine facilities at the Harbor Park and the creation of exhibits drawing on the town’s nautical history.
To make space for these improvements, the plan suggested the relocation of non-water-dependent businesses along the river. Town manager Gunty says this would be a win-win situation for these businesses and the town.
“To a certain degree, they’re bursting at the seams,” Gunty said.
Meanwhile, he continued, the city might reap the rewards of increased tax revenue if these businesses were to relocate. Morrison’s Chevrolet, for example, will now be paying three times as much property tax at its new location as it was along the river.
Gunty believes the Morrison lot conversion will take at least until fall of 2007.
“To do it really right, it would take a season of construction,” he said.
The prospect of buying the lot comes on the heels of another victory for the waterfront plan, the preservation of Indian Point. Last spring, the Frenchman Bay Conservancy succeeded in acquiring the 13-acre parcel and has since constructed a walking trail there. A wheelchair-accessible loop is planned next.
Frenchman Bay executive director Barbara Welch pledged support for the town’s attempts to acquire the Morrison lot, saying the Conservancy could provide assistance in seeking grants.
The city ultimately didn’t have to spend any taxpayer money to buy the land option because local business leaders raised the full $25,000 price. Alan Baker, publisher of The Ellsworth American, was one of the leaders in this initial fundraising drive. He said that helping to capture the Morrison lot for the city is a smart decision for Ellsworth’s business-owners.
“I think anyone who owns a business in downtown Ellsworth would recognize the value of a public park accessible by Main Street,” Baker said.
Baker believes that this kind of private fundraising also sends the right signal to grant foundations.
“It shows there is seed money available to get this project going,” he said.
Baker said business leaders ultimately hope to raise between $300,000 and $500,000 for the Morrison lot. For its part, Morrison’s Chevrolet has agreed to drop $300,000 from the $1.2 million asking price once the sale is final.
Baker emphasized that the opportunity to acquire the scenic view afforded from the Morrison lot will only come once in a lifetime.
“You could stand on the Morrison lot and sail a silver dollar across the river,” Baker said.