The Gorham Town Office held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 20 celebrating the completion of the Municipal Parking Lot Stormwater Retrofit Project. Elected officials, state and local government staff, and other interested parties and members of the public were invited to the celebration of the completion of this project.
This project will improve water quality and help control flooding in Railroad Brook, which is behind the parking lot of the municipal center. Water, which previously entered Railroad Brook untreated is now filtered by two advanced “FocalPoint” units manufactured by Ferguson Waterworks. Gorham was awarded $50,000 for the project by the State of Maine through the Community Resilience Partnership. The Town also received in-kind support from Ferguson Waterworks.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony Community Development Director Tom Poirier noted that “This project exemplifies what can be completed with public and private partnerships and there is no way this project would have happened without Ferguson Waterworks and specifically Rob Woodman.”
Photo credit: Roger MarchandTown Council member David Willis cuts the ribbon on the new storm water system at the rear of the Municipal Center parking lot while town employeesand planning office look on. Names from L to R: Tom Poirier, Director of Community Development, Rob Woodman, Ferguson Waterworks, Carol Eyerman, Town Planner, Damon Yakovleff, Assistant Town Planner, David Willis, Town Councilor, Megan Fountaine, Stormwater Compliance Officer, Chuck Norton, Town Engineer.
The Town’s goal in installing this project was not only to treat municipal center stormwater, but to encourage other stormwater retrofit projects to be completed. Damon Yakovleff, Assistant Town Planner of the Gorham Planning Division, stated that “the project is part of a larger effort on the part of the municipality to lead by example in developing resiliency projects, using state grant funding to leverage local investments.”