Portland selects ‘First Light Commons’ as name for waterfront park
A Portland city committee has recommended “First Light Commons” as the name for a new 3.5-acre waterfront park at the corner of India and Commercial streets. The City Council will vote on the proposal Monday, though construction already began in April and the park is expected to open later this year.
The site, once a parking lot and the former Nova Scotia ferry queuing area, will be rebuilt with a network of walking and biking trails, native plantings, trees, open lawn, event space, food truck spots and lighting. After the city invited public suggestions, officials received 325 submissions. A sustainability and transportation subcommittee met four times from March through May, narrowing the options to three finalists: First Light Commons, Freedom Commons and the original working name, Portland Harbor Common.
Committee members said the chosen name honors Wabanaki heritage, since “waban” means light, and Maine’s status as the first place on the continent to greet the sunrise. The memo also points to Portland’s history as a last stop on the Underground Railroad, arguing that reaching the city represented a light at the end of the tunnel for enslaved people seeking freedom. The panel kept “commons” because it conveys a public space where everyone is welcome.
Other names that drew support during the campaign included tributes to Marcia Noyes, a 50-year parks advocate; Kevin Fahrman, the so-called Valentine’s Day Bandit; and lobster, entered as “Langosta.”
The same committee selected “Rising Eddy” for the former Kiwanis pool set to open nearby, a decision that has not pleased everyone.
