The Bridgton Economic Development Committee invites residents to help with planning and design for the Depot Street district.

A Depot Street district community design charrette will be held March 5-7. A community design charrette is a collaborative, multiple-day planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a feasible plan that represents transformative community change.

The schedule for the activities will be as follows:

Thursday, March 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Meet at the Bridgton Municipal Complex at 9:45 a.m. Measuring and photographing downtown urban form and buildings.

Friday, March 6, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Bridgton Community Center. Community-participatory visioning and design work session

Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Bridgton Community Center. Community vision and design presentations and comment.

The subject of Bridgton’s three-day community design charrette is the unique and historic Depot Street District.

Here in 1883, at the ancient confluence of Corn Shop Brook, Willet Brook, & Stevens Brook, the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad built its northern terminus railroad yard, including a passenger and freight station, repair shop, roundhouse, coal sheds and other ancillary structures. Depot Street was also laid out in 1883. The historic B&SRR narrow-gauge railroad met its demise by 1939-40.

In 1949 the remaining structures were demolished, and the new Bridgton Memorial School was built at the site of the railroad yard.

Today, in 2009, the Depot Street District is poised once again, in its long and storied history, for a reinvention or evolution of its place, potential, and value in the continuing life of Bridgton.

The charrette will provide the Bridgton community a blueprint and a clear course for not only how the Depot Street District should look, but most importantly, how this special place should live.

The Bridgton Economic Development Committee strongly urges all citizens, students, downtown business and property owners, young professionals, elders, artists, environmentalists, land and building developers, construction and trade professionals, in short the Bridgton community, to join together at the Bridgton Community Center, roll up your sleeves and get down to some good citizen-participatory planning and design work for our historic Depot Street District.

For additional information and details contact Alan S. Manoian, director of economic and community development, at the Bridgton Town Office at 647-8786 or ecodevdir@bridgtonmaine.org.