SKOWHEGAN — A celebration Monday marked what some area residents and business owners have been anticipating for nearly three decades: The beginning of construction of the River Park.

For Kristina Cannon, president and CEO of the economic revitalization nonprofit Main Street Skowhegan, the day felt surreal.

“Today, we’re proving that big things can happen in small towns,” Cannon told a crowd that gathered for a ceremony that marked the beginning of construction of a riverfront boardwalk, with the Kennebec River rushing in the background. “All because we’ve had the courage to dream big, the leadership to keep showing up and the grit to keep going, even when the going gets tough. We are punching way, way, way above our weight class, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

The boardwalk, the initial phase of which includes a 4,187-square-foot, fully accessible deck made of northern white cedar overlooking the Kennebec River gorge in Skowhegan’s downtown, will be the first part of the project to come to fruition. 

Main Street Skowhegan, which has long spearheaded the project and now has a formal lease with the town to develop and operate it, says this year’s construction and another phase next year are fully funded. But the organization is back to fundraising for the in-river whitewater park and other aspects of the project after losing out on nearly $5 million in earmarked federal funds due to what organizers described as a lengthy permitting process.

The event Monday drew about 150 people to the riverside parking lot behind the businesses on Water Street. It was a who’s who of local, county, state and federal officials and politicians, prominent area business owners and nonprofit leaders, and a few dozen curious residents.

Those who spoke praised the project as a draw to Skowhegan’s downtown, a boost to the region’s economy and a worthy embrace of a river that the town, like many in Maine, has long turned its back on. The park has been discussed in one form or another since 1999.

“One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a community is to make sure the next generation has just as many reasons to build a life here as the generations before them,” Cannon said, “and that is what the Skowhegan River Park is all about.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, sporting a Skowhegan River Park T-shirt and New Balance sneakers, called the project transformational and “a shining example of the spirit of this community.”

U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, compared the River Park to a similar development in San Antonio, Texas, that he visited and said has been a major boost to that city’s tourism. King also said when the park’s artificial whitewater wave is installed in the Skowhegan gorge he has agreed to tandem kayak it with Sam Hight, the local auto dealer.

After speeches from Cannon, Collins, King and a representative from the New Balance Foundation, which recently announced a $1 million donation toward the project, the four broke ground by shoveling dirt from a prepositioned pile and tossing it onto the parking lot’s pavement.

Attendees, meanwhile, were invited to snack on a cookie from The Bankery & Skowhegan Fleuriste, decorated with an edible print of a boardwalk rendering.

In 2022, Collins and King together secured $2 million to be used toward the first phase of the boardwalk in a Congressionally Directed Spending earmark from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Main Street Skowhegan this spring also secured $334,000 from the Expedia Trail Fund through a partnership with The Conservation Fund, which allowed it to expand the footprint of the phase. The first portion to be built will be just west of the walking bridge over the Kennebec.

The second phase of the boardwalk is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2027, Main Street Skowhegan says. It includes 7,235 square feet of additional boardwalk, east of the first phase.

The second phase is backed by a $2.5 million “Timber for Transit” grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission, announced earlier this month.

It is also supported by $1.4 million in philanthropic and corporate commitments and the $1 million donation from the New Balance Foundation. The gift from New Balance, which recently expanded its shoe factory in Skowhegan, comes with naming rights for the boardwalk and Main Street Skowhegan’s gear lending library.

Supporters believe the River Park will play a key role in efforts to develop Skowhegan into a regional outdoor destination. Main Street Skowhegan touts a study commissioned in 2025 that found the completed project would contribute $16.6 million in annual economic impact and support 137 permanent jobs throughout the region.

Overall plans for the River Park, formerly known as Run of River, include improved river access, whitewater paddling and surfing features, and other recreation infrastructure, including the boardwalk and a four-season trail system.

Current plans call for the first adjustable whitewater wave in the Northeast. The possible removal of the Weston Dam, one of four upper Kennebec River dams Brookfield Renewable agreed to sell to The Nature Conservancy for $168 million, would not affect the planned river features, according to Main Street Skowhegan.

Various delays over the years have pushed back the beginning of construction. Final permits from the federal government were issued last summer.

Main Street Skowhegan is pursuing $5.6 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the whitewater park and related infrastructure. The request is going through King’s office and is in the appropriations process for the fiscal year 2027 budget, according to Cannon.

The group, meanwhile, is planning to install a paddling slalom course in the gorge, thanks to a $12,500 matching grant from the Somerset County board of commissioners.