NORTH WINDHAM – The plan for a park proposed at Chaffin Pond in North Windham is being downsized amid cost concerns.

The Windham Town Council on Tuesday discussed a plan for Donna Beth Lippman Park much reduced in scope from the previous proposal, which was pegged at $2 million.

The town had hired Portland design firm Mitchell & Associates to envision several concepts for the park, located behind Sherwin Williams along Route 302 in 123 acres of woods.

The town bought the property last year for $400,000 from the Portland Water District after receiving full reimbursement from Martin Lippman, a Standish resident and North Windham business owner who wanted to name the park in perpetuity after his wife. Lippman had previously donated money for a similarly named park in New York.

Once discussions in Windham turned toward incorporation of irrigated ballfields, lighting and concession stands – at a total cost exceeding $2 million – Lippman attended a council meeting last spring advocating his initial vision of the property as a park with simple amenities for families to enjoy.

Lippman’s lobbying efforts seem to have gained traction since Tuesday night’s discussion of park improvements focused on a playground, trails, rental boats and camping areas for Scout programs.

Park and Recreation Director Brian Ross echoed Lippman’s vision regarding the more elaborate uses, saying, “I’m not sure it’s the best spot to put that in there.” But Ross said the need for fields is great in Windham.

“I think we all agree that we need more fields and more active recreation but just trying to find the right spot for that is something we’re going to look into down the road,” he said.

Ross said he is working with the planning department to find town-owned areas of 40 or more acres of open space “to get a feel of maybe there’s a better spot,” he said.

The scaled-down version of Lippman Park still tips the scales at about $500,000, Ross said. Creation of an open space, boardwalk in wet areas along a perimeter trail, installation of a playground and picnic area as well as improving the parking lot and access road will cost about $469,000, he said.

But Ross is also hopeful that if the Town Council can adopt some sort of plan, he might be able to get government or private grants to fund the project.

“The plan is important to adopt. Before we go further along and go for government grants and private grants, having an approved plan I think does help, as far as selling what we need to do,” Ross said.

The council seemed agreeable to the scaled-down vision.

“I think tonight is just an idea of where we’re going,” Council Chairman Scott Hayman said. “This is something we’ll have to debate in the coming year.”

Hayman also said, “You’re not going vote for spending $500,000 on a park all in one shebang, that’s not going to happen.”

Hayman and Councilor David Nadeau also said some aspects of the park could be built with the help of volunteers, especially Eagle Scout projects.

Residents won’t be seeing a park anytime soon. While initial engineering is complete, further engineering would be needed once the council decides exactly what it wants to erect for amenities. The timeline could span several years.

“That’s up to the council how that goes,” Ross said when asked by Councilor Tommy Gleason about a timeline. “It could be two years, five years. But I think it’s a long-term deal here. I don’t see it happening over a one to two-year period.”