Senators Collins, King Announce $750,000 for Portland Landing Park
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the City of Portland has been awarded $750,000 for its Portland Landing Park Development Project, which aims to promote and enhance public access to Portland’s waterfront and quality outdoor recreation for residents and visitors.
“Portland’s parks, trails, and outdoor spaces play a critical role in providing access to the bodies of water that make it an attractive destination,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “This funding will boost revitalization efforts to improve this area of the city by providing new recreational opportunities for underserved residents and creating vital connections to the Portland waterfront from the downtown district, benefitting residents and visitors of Portland.”
According to the City of Portland, more than 5,000 residents live within a half mile of the proposed site, and more than one million people visit this part of Portland annually.
This funding will allow the City of Portland to be able to complete the first phase of park construction by creating a multi-purpose public area and becoming the primary access point to the water and existing Bayside Trail. While the selection of final features will be informed by community input, it is anticipated to include a waterside walking path, play features, seating areas, outdoor lighting, public art, interpretive signage, landscaping, and shore stabilization. In addition, the city is targeting active marine space as a key goal of the project.
Senators Collins and King previously wrote a letter in support of this grant application.
This grant was awarded through the National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grant Program, a program funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program. Last year, legislation to permanently reauthorize the LWCF was enacted with Senators Collins and King’s strong support. In April, Senators Collins and King joined a bipartisan group in introducing legislation to permanently fund LWCF at $900 million per year.
