Skowhegan voters approve River Park lease

Voters on Wednesday gave the green light for town officials to sign off on a lease agreement for the River Park project decades in the making. The lease delegates nearly all of the financial responsibility and liability for the project to Main Street Skowhegan, a local economic revitalization nonprofit that has long spearheaded planning and fundraising efforts for the River Park and expects to manage its operations. It is one of the last steps needed before construction, slated for early next year, can begin, according to project organizers. The first phase of the River Park includes an adjustable whitewater surf and kayak wave, an access road into the river on the south side, and the first 4,500 square feet of riverfront boardwalk.