Belfast footbridge project honored

CAMDEN – The Belfast footbridge restoration project was among three that were honored with a 2006 Smart Growth Award by Friends of Midcoast Maine at its annual meeting.

The bridge project, the video “Growing Together: Consensus Building, Smart Growth and Community Change” and the Our Town Damariscotta initiative all received accolades from Friends of Midcoast Maine.

Executive Director Jane Lafleur said the three projects represent very different approaches to building better communities in the midcoast.

“We are proud to present these awards to a city and a community group, a video production and a community grass-roots initiative,” he said in a news release.

The preservation and restoration of the former U.S. Route 1 bridge across the Passagassawaukeag River for pedestrian use “is an example of a city, its citizens and a community group … working together to restore this community asset. The project preserves and reconstructs an historic structure that will allow boats to pass through while promoting pedestrian uses, and connecting the two sides of Belfast.”

Funded significantly by $2.1 million in local taxpayer dollars, the $4 million project “will be an asset to the community for generations to come,” the organization said. Tammy Scully of Friends of the Bridge accepted the award on behalf of the Friends of the Bridge, the city of Belfast and the residents of Belfast.

The second award was presented to the Muskie School of Public Service, the New England Environmental Finance Center and Melissa Paly for the production of the video “Growing Together: Consensus Building, Smart Growth and Community Change.” The video is a training tool for local planners and community members.

The final award was presented to Eleanor Kinney and Jenny Mayher, founders of Our Town Damariscotta, for identifying a potential threat to the small town character and scale of the Damariscotta region; for orchestrating a team of local volunteers and stakeholders to build support for a retail building size.

For information about these awards or previous awards, visit www.friendsmidcoast.org