CAPE ELIZABETH — Cape Elizabeth has named local landscape
architect John Mitchell its citizen of the year.
Last week, Mitchell was recognized as the 24th
recipient of the Ralph T. Gould Award, created in 1986 to honor the
philanthropy of Gould, a noted musician who died in 1994 at age 93.
Mitchell, a Cape resident for 35 years, owns
Mitchell & Associates in Portland, which created the current master plan
for Fort Williams Park.
Mitchell’s relationship with the celebrated
facility goes back to 1976, when he prepared the initial concept design for a
new park entrance road, bypassing dilapidated garages that then existed
on site and putting on display instead a sweeping vista of the Portland Harbor
shipping channel.
More recently, Mitchell volunteered time as a
design consultant for the first phase of the Fort Williams Park arboretum. He
also helped design landscaping for the park’s group picnic shelter, designed
the interpretive signs at Cape Elizabeth’s Great Pond and drew up the plans
used to build the popular Shore Road Pathway, which officially opened last
week.
“John was hired for a number of municipal projects,
but always has done much more than any hours he ever billed to the town. He
must have walked Shore Road ten times to find the best layout for the path,”
said Town Planner Maureen O'Meara.
Town Council Chairman Sara Lennon, who presenting
the award, pointed out that Mitchell also helped Cape Elizabeth formulate
standards for construction that formed the basis of the town center zone.
“His vision has created some of the character in
our community most enjoyed by local residents,” said Lennon.
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