Contrary to the positive spin by local TV channels and the print media, the flavor of the informational meeting (on the proposed Riverbank Park concert venue) on the evening March 27 was more of a flurry of unanswered questions.

It was stated that the concert promoters picked Riverbank Park, because the turnpike is so close with Westbrook Arterial emptying onto Main Street almost across from the site.

This observation is contradictory to the answer given that parking issues would be solved by using the Idexx parking lot on Eisenhower Drive with a shuttle bus to the park.

It was stated that there would be no cost to taxpayers for the construction of the amphitheater because construction monies would be drawn from a tax increment financing arrangement.

A TIF excuses full taxation for a given number of years, being seen as a business-drawing incentive. Not only will taxpayers lose full taxation by building this venue, which taxing or building private business on public property is questionable at the least, but also, with building costs ranging between $500, and $1 million, the answer that the venue would be rented out for weddings during the off season seems to fall far short of making up for a TIF and paying back borrowed monies to build what amounts to a gamble.

The echoes of urban renewal and the ballpark at Old Orchard Beach come to mind.

As for congestion, during already existing events at the park, the adjacent neighborhood becomes barely to fully inaccessible to fire and rescue vehicles due to narrow streets plugged by parked cars, opening the city up to lawsuits.

The question also comes to mind whether parking congestion in the small parking lots of local businesses deters paying customers or, actually brings in revenue?

Riverbank Park itself is a gem, tiny in comparison to parks in other cities. It belongs to the people. This being said, the legality of prohibiting access to the park without a concert ticket should be questioned.

The property owners living in downtown neighborhoods are not against ideas to build tax revenues. Property owners are against ideas that aren’t good ones.

This idea has too many consequences that far outweigh its benefits.

Carson Wood

Westbrook