THRESHER MEMORIAL PROJECT SUBMISSION SUMMARY, MAY 23, 2013
At its May 9th meeting the Board asked for plan revisions to remove the proposed sidewalk from the
center of the Circle of Honor to Rogers Road; address supplemental parking including handicapped space;
and, for smaller scale drawings to be provided.
INDEX
Pg Descr
3. Memorial Circle - Artist Concept
4. Memorial Circle - Flagpole LED Lighting Specs
7. Memorial Park - Courtyard Layout
8. Memorial Park - Monument-Courtyard Sketch
9. Memorial Park - Courtyard Planting Sketch
10. Memorial Park - Landscape Planting List
11. Park-Circle Line-of-sight Sketch
12. Municipal LID Rain Garden - DEP-approved Plan
ATTACHMENTS
1. Approved Town Hall Site Plan, (H.L. Turner group, 1997)
2. Memorial Circle Improvement Landscape Plans, Drawing C-1, (5/17/2013), Wright-Pierce
3. Memorial Circle Improvement Landscape Detail, Drawing C-2, (5/17/2013), Wright-Pierce
4. Town Hall Site Plan - Memorial Park Circle of Honor, Attar Engineering
5. Memorial Park Circle of Honor Plan Detail, Attar Engineering
SUMMARY
Memorial Circle
As shown in the Wright-Pierce drawing at attachment 2 (details included), the Thresher Memorial
flagpole will have a 25-foot granite mounded-base (detail in attachment 3) with a single 220w LED
fixture (specs at pages 4-6) illuminating the flag. The existing flagpoles and the concrete base will be
removed and replaced at Memorial park.
There will be two granite sign-blocks, 8’ long x 2’x6” high x 8”, displaying “USS Thresher 10 April
1963” viewable from the main Memorial Circle access ways. 28 Winter Gem Boxwoods will be circulararrayed around the base and 68 Dwarf Golden Mop Cypress in an outer ring, as shown in the plan and in
the artist concept sketch (page 3). These are low-height plants which will leave the cross-Circle
viewplane unrestricted.
Memorial Park
The Attar Engineering town hall site plans for the Park (attachments 4 and 5) have been revised to remove
the Rogers Road sidewalk connection.
A 4’ x 10’ embeded vertical granite piece displaying a bronze-plaque listing all 129 men lost on the
Thresher, fronting a 16-foot square commemorative-paver courtyard with four aesthetically compatible
benches; and, the Circle of Honor centerpiece stone are the significant features. Three flagpoles,
replacing those in Memorial Circle will be installed.
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THRESHER MEMORIAL PROJECT SUBMISSION SUMMARY, MAY 23, 2013
The Thresher monument and courtyard layout are shown (page 7), with the artist’s concept (page 8). The
courtyard plantings as drawn (page 9) and Park plantings list (page 10) are included. Six Bradford Pears Cleveland will be planted and 131 other evergreen, deciduous, and ground cover shrubs and plants laid in,
as noted. One evergreen needs to be removed and replaced.
Site construction details are noted on that list, as well.
Our examination of the Board’s parking request revealed several issues.
1. The current code requirements (16.8.9.4.D, Off-street Parking Standards) for public buildings is two
spaces for each office unit and one for each 250 square feet of gross floor area. The site includes town
hall, public works buildings, and the Naval & Historical Museum which our calculations show would
require 188 spaces, while 138 are identified on the plan signed on 04/10/1997 (H.L Turner Group, 1997,
attachment 1).
2. The only apparently reasonable space available to construct eight new spaces is a southwesterly
extension of the spaces across the travel-way to the rear of town hall closest to the Memorial Park, which
we are prepared to do, despite the added $5,000 estimated cost to the project (Attar plan C-1, attachment
4). However, we note that that space, as well as all the designated parking along that row at 30-feet, is all
within the 50-foot wetland setback now required by the code.
3. We further note that there are two handicapped spaces at the town hall rear door, directly across from
and closer to the Park.
4. We do understand that this application review is triggering the question, but consider it unfair to
require the project to create additional parking for a town site already deficient by 50 spaces according to
the code.
5. In view of these exceptional circumstances, we submit that visitation to the Park during normal
operating hours of the other site facilities would be minimal and most visits would occur on weekends
and holidays when those facilities are closed, so we ask the Board to consider a finding that this project
does not add to the requirements for additional parking as noted in Staff notes ; or, under Title 16,
Section 16.8.9.4.M, accept a contingency condition for us to make an appeal to the Board of Appeals for
joint use consideration.
“M.
The Board of Appeals may approve the joint use of a parking facility by two or more
principal buildings or uses where it is clearly demonstrated that said parking facility will
substantially meet the intent of the requirements by reasons of variation in the probable time of
maximum use by patrons or employees among such establishments.”
Rain Garden
The municipal Low Impact Development Rain Garden is not part of the Thresher Project, however, the
Maine DEP approved plan and a Park-Circle line-of-sight sketch are provided, as requested by the Board
(Pages 11-12).
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