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Carol Johnson Associates of Cambridge, Mass., was hired by the town to create a blueprint of what an enhanced downtown -- with walking trails to the quarries -- would look like.
A project committee comprised of elected officials, members of Portland Revitalization Inc. Developing Excitement and the Brownstone Quorum will guide the project and meet regularly with the firm to discuss the possibilities.
A tentative date of July 13 has been set for the first meeting to conduct a field investigation of the quarries, the river front and Main Street from the Arrigoni Bridge to the Portland Post Office.
A final drawing is expected to be presented to the Board of Selectmen by the end of October, according to the contract. The firm will be paid $50,000 -- the amount of a state grant awarded in June 2000 to the town specifically to benefit the quarries and the downtown area.
The firm will complete a final sketch in two phases -- an inventory and analysis phase and a master plan phase. During the first phase, the firm will create a base plan using existing data, such as aerial photography, of the downtown area and the quarries. During the second phase, the firm will develop a master plan including, but not limited to, the locations and types of visitor amenities, such as a visitor center and museum, bicycle and pedestrian trails, parking areas, site lighting and the links between downtown and the quarries.
There are no funds available -- grants or otherwise -- to actually develop the quarries or enhance the downtown area, First Selectman Edward Kalinowski said. However, he added, the final sketch will be instrumental when and if funds become available to improve the quarries and beautify Main Street piece-by-piece.
"It could be 10, 20 years; it could be five years," Kalinowski said. "Grants have dried up a lot with the state and federal government."
