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WATERVILLE — Waterville Creates! earlier this year received a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town program to undertake, in partnership with the city of Waterville, Colby College and other partners, a community redesign process for downtown Waterville’s central greenspace — Castonguay Square.
Community members are invited to participate in public design workshops Wednesday, Oct. 17 at The Center, 93 Main St., and Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Chase Community Forum in the Bill and Joan Alfond Main Street Commons. All are welcome to attend; there is no charge to participate. Both meetings are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m; light refreshments will be provided.
“Castonguay Square is a lovely greenspace located in the heart of our historic downtown district, but its current design is not particularly inviting,” said Shannon Haines, president and CEO of Waterville Creates! “In this time of unprecedented investment in the downtown, this project will give the community an exciting opportunity to help create a dynamic, welcoming space right in the center of it all. The process will also build community capacity for future projects and help to restore a sense of pride and civic engagement.”
After the first two workshops, the architects will begin developing preliminary design concepts which they will present to the community for feedback at a final workshop in January 2019. The goal will be to have a final concept for presentation to City Council in February 2019.
In the creative placemaking process, public, private, not-for-profit, and community sectors partner to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired. Key elements of this process are inclusivity, intention, and relationship building with all community stakeholders.
