Gardiner officials endorse downtown master plan, setting the stage for project work
Now that Heart of Gardiner, the master plan for the downtown, has been approved, city officials will focus on how to achieve the goals outlined in it to bolster the city.
BY JESSICA LOWELL, KENNEBEC JOURNAL
The City Council has adopted the “Heart of Gardiner” master plan that outlines goals for making the downtown an attractive and economically vibrant destination.
While crafting the plan has taken about a year, Wednesday’s vote marks the start of the next phase in the process — putting the plan in place.
“We’ll have to get an implementation plan,” Gardiner Mayor Patricia Hart said Thursday.
That’s likely to involve assigning an existing or new committee to work on recommending priorities to the City Council.
The Heart of Gardiner plan outlines nine recommendations where city officials can focus their attention and funding to boost the downtown area. Recommendations include making downtown Gardiner accessible to people of all abilities, improving parking and the Arcade lot, connecting Waterfront Park to the trail system, strengthening the identity of downtown Gardiner and developing a network of green stormwater infrastructure.