Saco seeking community input as city creates open space plan
Saco is home to many different types of open spaces. An open space plan would help preserve those. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson, city of Saco)
The city of Saco is embarking on an effort to create an open space plan — and wants residents to weigh in.
Working in tandem with the Saco Conservation Commission, the plan will guide how Saco cares for, connects and expands the outdoor places that contribute to the community’s environment and quality of life.
A public interactive listening session next week will provide an opportunity for community members to learn more about the plan and share their ideas, priorities, concerns and experiences. The session will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Deering Room at Dyer Public Library.
In a news release Thursday, City Planner Charles Tetelman said residents’ input will help the city identify priorities and turn them into practical actions.
“People experience Saco’s open spaces in different ways,” Tetelman said. “We want this plan to reflect that range of experience.”
Under the plan, open space includes more than just public parks. It also encompasses trails, conservation lands, forests, farms and other working lands, natural areas, waterfront access and land set aside through development. While not all of those areas are open to the public, they all provide environmental, agricultural or community value, the city said in its release.
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Saco already has a robust Parks and Recreation Department, Tetelman said in an email Thursday, as well as ongoing dedication to maintaining trails and working with the conservation commission to publicize those trails and encourage people to explore them.
But the plan will build on those efforts by helping the city understand how they work together, where there are gaps and what the community wants to prioritize, Tetelman added.
“As Saco grows, we want a shared understanding of our conservation and open space needs, along with the tools available to balance those needs with other community priorities,” he said.
Mayor Jodi MacPhail said the open space plan will help pave the way for existing locations and help identify future possibilities.
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“These spaces are for the residents and visitors to enjoy,” MacPhail said. “Their input is vital to help the city make these spaces for everyone.”
As the plan progresses, it will bring together existing information, new analysis and resident input to determine what Saco’s open space inventory currently looks like; where people can access those places and what makes accessibility difficult; and how open spaces support wildlife, water quality, climate resilience, agriculture and recreation.
It will also help understand where there are opportunities to protect land, improve connections or increase access, and what actions the city can realistically take.
Several other communities in southern Maine have their own open space plans or guidelines, including Biddeford, Cumberland, Falmouth and Kittery. Yarmouth adopted a plan in 2019, and Gorham unveiled its own in June.
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Tagged: environment, farm, land conservation, outdoor recreation
Sydney is a community reporter for Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel and previously reporter for the Courier and Post. Sydney grew up in Kennebunk and is a graduate. More by Sydney Richelieu
