Woolwich is seeking bids for more improvements to Nequasset Park that include making its swimming area more Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) friendly. The park which includes a picnic area and boat launch is behind the municipal building and provides access to Nequasset Lake. Its entrance is on George Wright Road. The bid opening is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 9 at the town office.

Selectman Allison Hepler said the town plans to use a grant and local monies. She said the town received just shy of $15,000 from the Submerged Lands program from Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. “This was a grant we received last year. We recently asked for and were granted an extension for its use to December of this year,” she explained in an email to Wiscasset Newspaper.

The bid request states the work can begin on or after Sept. 6 and is to be completed by Oct. 15. Complete packages are available from Pine Tree Engineering at 53 Front St., Bath. The project includes installation of a paved walkway and extending pre-cast concrete steps further into the water to improve ADA access to the swimming area.

According to Hepler, the project also includes the installation of a concrete abutment similar to the one at the boat ramp. “This will eventually be used to hold floats, which we don’t yet have,” she wrote. Hepler added, the floats likely won’t be covered by the grant due to cost increases for the materials. “We hadn’t planned on installing the floats this season anyway.”

Hepler said in cooperation with the Nequasset Park Committee, the board has been making the park improvements over the last few years as funding has become available. The improvements started in 2018, focusing on the parking area. A paved ADA sidewalk leading to the swimming area was added, along with ADA parking spaces closer. New picnic tables were added, too, along with improvements to the outdoor bathroom.

At their last meeting, selectmen agreed to place a plaque at the park in memory of Joan Jordan. For many years, Jordan and Sue Ellen Whittaker co-chaired the committee. Other members are Natasha Burns, Linda Potts-Crawford and Barbara Richards.

The park will celebrate its 27th anniversary this year. Jack Shaw & Sons of Woolwich built the park in 1995.