Fort Halifax Park in Winslow to reopen after monthslong closure

WINSLOW — One of the town’s most cherished community spaces is reopening Friday after being closed for nearly five months.

Fort Halifax Park, which sits at the confluence of the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers, has been closed to the public since the Dec. 18 flood damaged the park’s bandstand, washed away benches and took chunks of earth as it went.

The stage at Fort Halifax Park in Winslow, shown in February, was damaged in the December 2023 flooding of the Kennebec River, shown in the background. The high water left debris and damage throughout the park, which is at the confluence of the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

The park will reopen this week while the town continues to work to replace the stage and rebuild other amenities, Winslow Parks and Recreation Director Amanda McCaslin said.

“The old stage, the water literally lifted it off its base and moved the entire stage,” McCaslin said. “We know we have a very important historical site. We want it to look nice, but also be something that’s gonna hopefully withstand floodwaters.”

The park’s stage has sat unused, taped off and visibly warped, since December. The town intends to have it demolished within the next few weeks, with construction of a new stage tentatively planned to begin late this summer, according to town councilor Ray Caron.

Caron is a member of the committee overseeing Fort Halifax Park’s redevelopment. He says the new bandstand will be able to withstand a major flood like the one in December, though the project is still in the design phase.

“It’s not solidified yet, but it’s probably going to have a big concrete base that will keep it from bending or going anywhere,” Caron said. “We’re hoping to start work some time this summer. (The town) would really like to have some concerts and stuff down at the park this year.”

Walkers pass a Fort Halifax Park picnic shelter Thursday that was destroyed in the December 2023 flood of the Kennebec River. The Winslow park is set to reopen to the public Friday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

To prepare for the park’s reopening, town employees have spent months clearing debris, filling holes in the ground and planning what the rebuilt park will look like.

The town has spent roughly $10,000 on cleanup efforts, according to Winslow Public Works Director Paul Fongemie, with more work still to come. The cost has been significantly lowered by the town’s use of in-house employees.

“It’s gonna flood again, we’re just trying to make whatever we rebuild more armored and stronger to resist the flow of water and the damage from debris,” Fongemie said. “People need to be patient. A lot of this stuff takes time and it’s not our only responsibility.”

Much of the park’s land beside the Kennebec River was washed away during the flood, prompting the town to look toward fortifying the land the park sits on. Work has been slow moving due to the extensive federal permitting process, according to Fongemie.

“We lost a fair amount of real estate down by the river,” he said. “That sandy point that kind of went out into the river where the Sebasticook and Kennebec join, a lot of that got washed out so now it’s pretty much just a straight drop off.”

A sign warns of danger Thursday near a section of shoreline at Fort Halifax Park in Winslow that was reshaped during the December 2023 flood of the Kennebec River. The park is set to reopen to the public Friday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“It’s not like we can raise the land eight or 10 feet to get it above flood stage,” he added.

While more repair and construction work is needed before Fort Halifax Park can once again host concerts and events, officials say they wanted to reopen the community space ahead of the summer season.

“I kind of view this as a soft opening,” McCaslin said. “It’s not going to be the park that we had a year ago, but hopefully by midsummer, we’ll be in a place where the debris is gone and we’ve got a beautiful lawn again.”