The Town of Bridgton is creating an open space plan. The open space plan will act as a guide to elected and appointed town leadership and area conservation organizations by identifying high priority areas and properties to protect, acquire or use for recreational purposes. It will also provide land stewardship guidance for existing open space lands, identify opportunities to expand connectivity between open spaces, town services, and neighborhoods, as well as outline programs, ordinances, and partners that could be instrumental in securing the future of high priority open spaces. Not only will the plan help the town & area conservation non-profits understand what lands and trail connections are important to you, but it will also inform where it makes sense to build more housing and expand services.

The open space plan will serve as both a stand-alone planning document and as the primary information tool for natural resource management and resilience strategies expected to be adopted in Bridgton’s next Comprehensive Plan (anticipated for 2024). This planning process is funded entirely through a grant from the Maine Community Resilience Partnership.

Your input will be collected via a survey with questions like:

• How do you use Bridgton's open spaces?
• What improvements or additions are needed?
• Where would you like to see investment?

You can also ‘drop a pin’ on a virtual map to tell us what places you enjoy, or areas that might need work.

When: The survey is open from now until January 31st, 2023. 

Who: Everyone who lives, works & plays in Bridgton.

How do I take the survey?

Online: https://bit.ly/BridgtonOpenSpace

• Public access computers are available at the Bridgton Public Library - Tue: 9-6, Wed: 9-5, Fri: 9-5, Sat: 9-3
  *Note: computers are shut down ten minutes before the library closes.

In person: 

Bridgton Community Center:

• One-on-one assistance: Wednesday’s (1/4 & 1/11) 11:30am - 2:00pm

Bridgton Public Library:

• One-on-one assistance: Fridays from 2 - 4pm

Paper copies are available: Bridgton Community Center, Bridgton Public Library, Bridgton Town Office, Loon Echo Land Trust Office.

Questions? Contact Tori Hill, Community Development Director, at vhill@bridgtonmaine.org

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FAQ’s

How do you define ‘open space’?

• Open space is any area of land that is undeveloped (has no buildings or other built structures) and is accessible to the public. 
• Open space can include: town parks (i.e. Pondicherry Park, Shorey Park), conservation land owned by a non-profit (like Bald Pate Mountain owned by Loon Echo Land Trust, or Holt Pond owned by Lakes Environmental Association), Town beaches & boat launches (i.e. Highland Lake Beach, Sabatis Island), recreational fields (such as Jr. Harmon field, BRAG fields), playgrounds, and vacant lots.

What if I can’t take the survey online?

• You can visit the Bridgton Library on Fridays from 2pm-4pm for one-on-one assistance with the survey.
• Help will be available on Wednesdays(12/28, 1/4 & 1/11) from 11:30am-2:00pm at the Bridgton Community Center
• You can call (207) 595-3560 for further information and assistance.

Who is paying for this?

• This project has been funded entirely through a grant from the Community Resilience Partnership, which is a program of the Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation & the Future.

What is the end result?

The Open Space plan will:

• Identify open spaces, forests, riparian habitat, and agricultural lands important to the residents of Bridgton for their capacity to provide a range of ecological and public services including but not limited to climate change resilience, public recreation access, economic sustainability, rural aesthetic, habitat protection, and water quality;
• Establish a town-wide strategy for land conservation and preservation;
• Plan for establishing new or formalizing existing access to passive recreational areas;
• Help formalize links to and between new and existing open spaces and trail networks to ensure access from residential and workplace areas town-wide;
• Guide and prioritize capital investments and identify funding opportunities including public/private partnerships; and
• Be a tool for coordinating town wide projects, policies, and programs related to open space and recreation.

Will there be opportunities to give feedback in-person?

• Yes! There will be a public meeting in Spring 2023. Notices will be posted on the Town of Bridgton website, Loon Echo Land Trust social media pages, and in the Bridgton News.