Editor:

    There will be an organizational meeting of a new
committee, the “Friends of Mill Creek Park”, on Thursday, Feb. 1st,
from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the upstairs meeting room at the Community
Center. Interim Chairman, John Ely, will conduct the election of
officers and welcome the guest speaker, Sarah Neuts, of the South
Portland Parks Department. She will talk about the rehabilitation
requirements needed in the park.

Mill Creek Park is one of the city’s most heavily used and loved parks.
It was built after W.W. II to honor veterans and was created on land
that had been used as a city dump. The park has some long overdue
maintenance issues and could use some reconfiguration to make it more
accessible to all citizens.

Mill Creek Park is a gem in a very urban location and the time has come
to attend to its needs so it may be more fully enjoyed by us now and
also protected for use by future generations.

    All who are interested are welcome to attend the
meeting on Feb. 1st. This is an opportunity to become involved in an
exciting effort to preserve and improve an asset that we all can enjoy.

    I was interested to read Lucas Knowles’ article
about “New Urbanism” in the Jan. 19th issue of The Sentry. One needs to
look no further than the Knightville Mill Creek neighborhood to see the
concept in action. The Knightville Mill Creek Neighborhood Master Plan
Steering Committee has studied and been specifically guided by the
principles of “New Urbanism.” The business owners and residents work
together with the municipality to promote business prosperity while
maintaining residential quality of life in a densely populated,
mixed-use neighborhood. Mixed use has been the area’s character since
the 1800’s and it is still a successful balance that we are working to
maintain.

    In a high-density, “urban village” environment,
parks and green spaces are a crucial resource for the people who live
and work in the neighborhood. We are happy to join other organizations
across the city to support the proposed renovation and preservation of
Mill Creek Park.

Rommy Brown, Chairperson

Knightville Mill Creek Neighborhood Association