An artist’s rendering from 2021 shows the proposed Skowhegan River Park along the Kennebec River in downtown Skowhegan. Project organizers had hoped to get federal permits approved by the end of 2024, but that has been delayed. The long-awaited construction of the park could still begin this year. Rendering courtesy of John Gutwin/Pepperchrome

SKOWHEGAN — The permitting process for the long-planned Skowhegan River Park has fallen behind the schedule organizers had anticipated, though construction of the whitewater park’s first phase could still begin this year.

Project organizers with Main Street Skowhegan, the economic revitalization nonprofit that has spearheaded the River Park project, had predicted they would have a permit in hand from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by the end of 2024.

That would be the last step required to begin the first phase of construction, for which fundraising is largely complete and a contractor is on board.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for permitting all work that takes place in the nation’s navigable waters, said this week it is still reviewing the permit application as part of a process involving several federal and state agencies.

“I want people to know that we’re getting our permit,” Kristina Cannon, president and CEO of Main Street Skowhegan, said Wednesday. “There’s no question about the permit itself … Right now, the timeline is just extended a little bit.”

Overall plans for the project, formerly known as Run of River, include improved river access, whitewater paddling features and other recreation infrastructure along the Kennebec River in Skowhegan. Supporters believe the River Park will play a key role in efforts to develop Skowhegan into a regional outdoor destination. The National Governors Association recently highlighted it in a case study.

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The first phase of construction is set to include river access on the south side of the river, viewing areas, and the first adjustable, artificial whitewater wave feature in the Northeast.

The Army Corps of Engineers approval would effectively give the green light to begin construction for the in-river components of the park.

As part of the permitting process, which began in 2022, the Army Corps of Engineers said it is working with an alphabet soup of agencies: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The Skowhegan Outdoors team prepares to lead a group float during River Fest in August along the Kennebec River in downtown Skowhegan, where the River Park construction is planned. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

Currently, the Army Corps of Engineers is in a formal Endangered Species Act consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the project’s impact on endangered Atlantic salmon and its designated critical habitat.

Other pending processes include a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification from the Maine DEP, and coordination with the EPA based on the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.

That is all according to Cori Rose, an Endangered Species Act and Essential Fish Habitat subject matter expert at the Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division Technical Regional Execution Center, who answered questions by email..

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The Army Corps of Engineers cannot predict a timeline for a decision on the permit application, Rose said, but once the agency receives outstanding documents from other agencies the process can be finished within 60 days.

The agencies involved seem to be busy and short-staffed, Cannon said.

The River Park proposal is also unique. While whitewater parks are somewhat common in the West, there is only one other in New England: the Mill City Park at Franklin Falls in Franklin, New Hampshire.

“None of the agencies have really seen a project like this before,” said Pete Walker, director of environmental services at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., or VHB, the engineering firm working on the project.

The Atlantic salmon population has also proved to be another hurdle.

“That has driven a lot of the work that we’ve been doing with the resource agencies to try to design a project that really considers salmon and accounts for that and minimizes our impact on, and hopefully enhances in some aspects, the Atlantic salmon population,” Walker said.

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Despite the delay, construction could still begin this year, assuming permits are issued as expected.

Orono-based Sargent Corp., hired as the project’s contractor, is lined up to begin work on river access in May, Cannon said. In-river work would then begin in July.

Cannon said the team working on the project met Tuesday with Rose — who took over as the project’s main point of contact after another staffer retired — and she indicated the Army Corps of Engineers would try to meet that timeline.

Funds are also in place to begin construction. About $6.1 million has been allocated toward the first phase of construction. That figure includes $4.89 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, about $1 million from Skowhegan’s Sappi tax increment financing agreement, and about $200,000 from Main Street Skowhegan.

The $6.1 million figure was based on an estimate in 2022, Cannon said.

Kayakers paddle the Kennebec River through downtown Skowhegan during River Fest in 2023. Morning Sentinel file photo

McLaughlin Whitewater of Denver, Colorado, the design firm contracted for the River Park, has since provided a design to Sargent Corp. that is about 90% complete, according to Cannon. The cost could be higher now.

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“I am working on fundraising right now,” said Cannon, who was recently honored at a White House event for being named a Rural Innovator.

A separate but related riverfront development project, meanwhile, is also underway.

Permitting for improvements in the area behind the businesses and parking lot on Water Street is set to begin soon. An environmental assessment is the first step, Cannon said.

In 2022, $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was awarded to the project through a Congressional earmark.

The town of Skowhegan is leading permitting efforts for the riverfront development work. Principle Group, based in Boston, is the design firm and VHB is the engineering firm.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the year the permitting process started.  

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