Saco Bay Rotary

As part of the Rotary International Centennial Celebration, members of the Saco Bay Rotary Club have spent several hours working on the construction of the new Gazebo in Old Orchard Beach’s Memorial Park.

In 1942, the residents of Old Orchard Beach petitioned the Town Council to buy the land that is now Veteran’s Memorial Park. The petition asked that the land be obtained expressly for the purpose of building a public green space and playground. As the years unfolded, only a small area of the Park was developed. Over the years different civic groups have rented a section of the Park to raise money by parking

Under the supervision of Curt Scammon this was the Centenial Project for Saco Bay.

cars within the Park during the summer months.

For the past four years a volunteer Committee has been working to ensure that Veterans Memorial Park comes to embody the facility that was originally envisioned some six decades ago. In 2002 the Land and Water Conservation Fund generously awarded the Town a grant that enabled us to install a state of the art new playground within the Park. Today, with an enormous support of the Town Council the Committee is prepared to take another dramatic step toward reclaiming the Park. A plan to strip and remove the 60,800 square foot parking lot in the center of the Park and replace it with a lush green space is well under way.

The very generous donation of time and personal commitment of the Saco Bay Rotary members as well as the hours contributed by the members of the Memorial Park Committee has seen a vision to be materialized. On Memorial Day the Gazebo will be used for the celebration of the activities surrounding the holiday, and Saco Bay Rotary President, Gary Hammond, will participate in the ribbon cutting. The Town Manager, James Thomas, has publicly and privately expressed his appreciation to the Rotary Club for their dedicated commitment to the community of Old Orchard Beach. Special thanks to Curt Scammon of the Rotary Club who spearheaded the involvement of Rotary and served as Project Manager.

Old Orchard Beach Gazebo built and paid for by Saco Bay Rotary. Below are pictures of the construction of the project under the supervision of Curt Scamman. This will be the Centenial Project for Saco Bay.