City Hall·Thomaston Riverview Park Workshop
Thomaston reviews Riverview Park entrance and parking plan
Town officials presented a dozen slides on proposed work at the former prison property, including a new Route 1 entrance, a plaza, a storage and restroom building, and parking along William King Drive. No vote was taken; residents and committee members raised concerns about parking capacity, restroom design, and how the plan fits with the planned fire station.
Key points
- John presented the concept plan, which covers a widened Route 1 crossing, an 8-foot sidewalk, a plaza with granite block seating, a wildflower meadow, and a storage building with portable toilets on William King Drive.
- The plan would add about 19 parking spaces on the north side of William King Drive, which several attendees said is not enough for soccer games and events.
- Justice said current parking overflows onto the grass and that a fire truck could not get through during games; she asked for more spaces and a larger storage building with double doors to hold soccer goals.
- A resident questioned whether the storage building's wall would create a blind spot for mischief near the restrooms; another noted the existing restroom is already behind a wall.
- John said the entranceway design drew little objection, but parking drew the most comments, and he would go back to the drawing board on parking options.
- Discussion covered possible future parking near the prison showroom lot and a half-acre parcel owned by Kachai, plus running water and electricity from the new fire station to the park gazebo.
Next steps
- John plans to bring the program to the Planning Board in October or November for approval.
- John will revise the parking plan, possibly moving the storage building back to add more spaces, and return to the group in a month or two.
- Public Works may dig out and level the parking areas with crushed rock in the spring.
- John will ask the Conservation Commission for help selecting shrubbery and planting wildflowers in the meadow area.
- A workshop on Route 1 safety and traffic ideas under the SS4A program is expected in the next couple of months.
Where this came from
Town of Thomaston (Town Hall Streams)
The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.
Watch the meeting ↗The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.