Wells eyes $2M community center with ice rink and pickleball courts

WELLS, Maine — Since January, a group of residents and officials have been working on a project to build a new pavilion at a town-owned park between the town hall and Wells Elementary School on Sanford Road.

Once complete, the Wells Founders Park Community Center would be an outdoor, multi-use venue open for the public to enjoy all year.

The group, The Friends of Wells Founders Park, offered a glimpse of their proposed pavilion in a recent press release.

“Imagine a bright, chilly winter’s day, and you’re cutting across a smooth ice surface on an outdoor, covered rink in the center of Wells, laughing with family and friends,” the group said. “Imagine a sunny morning in July at the same place, browsing at the farmer’s market, considering a variety of veggies for your family’s evening meal. Imagine a friendly yet competitive pickleball match on that same surface.”

The venue would serve all sorts of functions, including concerts, craft fairs, and events held by the town’s three schools, the group added. People also would be able to rent the center for private gatherings.

The center would include a 120-foot by 200-foot concrete pad, with space set up for an ice-skating rink, according to the Friends. A roof will cover most of the open-sided pavilion, with room for picnic tables outside. Bathrooms, a garage, and a utility area also would be on site. Parking would be available nearby, at the town hall and the elementary school.

The center would share the parcel with the historic John Wells House, according to the Friends.

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Group looking to raise $2M for Community Center

Select Board member Bob Foley is leading the group, which wants to raise an initial $2 million to fund the project, including $1.7 million for the estimated cost of the building. The remaining $300,000 would cover incidental matters that could arise and establish an endowment to fund annual maintenance costs.

“The land is already owned by the town, so there is no cost involved in obtaining the parcel,” the group noted.

Fundraising efforts got off to a solid start when the Rotary Club of Wells presented a $25,000 check to the project during the town’s Select Board meeting on April 2.

Rotary Club President Rick Coyne told the Select Board he believed the amount was the largest ever donated by the local service organization. He expressed enthusiasm for the project.

“I think it’s probably one of the best things in the 40 years I’ve lived in the town of Wells,” he said.

Select Board Chair John MacLeod III told Coyne and other Rotarians who joined him that the town appreciated the donation.

“That’s going to go a long way,” said MacLeod, who is working alongside Foley as a member of the Friends.

To raise funds, the Friends are planning to approach local businesses, service organizations, foundations, and residents. According to the group, in-kind donations have been received or promised for designing the building concept, clearing the land, receiving the building materials at cost, and organizing fundraising and publicity efforts.

“It's important to note that the planning group is not a formal committee of the town, although the town will support the project by administering funds,” the Friends stated.

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Donations, which are tax-deductible, can be made to the town, with a note designating the funds for the Wells Founders Park Community Center.

The group said it plans to create a Facebook page for people to track the project’s progress and make online donations.

The group also is focused on educating the public about the logistics of the project between now and the annual town meeting in June. Voters will be asked that day to rezone the parcel from Residential Commercial to General Business, which would align the property with its neighbors.

The rezoning also would enable the group to seek a waiver for the height of the pavilion, given the proposed slope of the roof. The town sought a similar waiver when constructing the new public safety building on Route 1 a few years ago.

“The center represents a significant step toward the establishment of a vibrant town center,” the group said.

The area already includes the town hall, three schools, the Wells Public Library, and York Hospital’s medical facility, all of which are linked by sidewalks and are served by several parking lots, the group added. The town’s new public safety building and the Wells Activity Center also are nearby.

The Friends said they aim to have the Wells Founders Park Community Center complete by the summer of 2025.

During the Select Board meeting on April 2, Foley said the community center would be a “great asset for the community.”

“We really want to get the entire town involved in this,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wells eyes community center with ice rink and pickleball courts