CAPE ELIZABETH — The Fort Williams Foundation, an independent
nonprofit formed in 2000 and dedicated to the preservation and beautification
of Cape Elizabeth’s signature site, has commissioned a $35,000 study to see if
its worth unearthing Battery Blair, one of the more historically significant
spots in the 90-acre park.
That “feasibility study” is expected to be
delivered by Renner Woodworth to the Fort Williams Advisory Commission at its
Nov. 29 meeting, according to the group's chairman, Bill Nickerson.
“We won’t know until we have that in hand
whether there is feasibility,” said Nickerson last week, declining further
comment.
“It’s not a done deal,” said Cape Elizabeth
Public Works Director Bob Malley. “The study is just to identify the costs
associated with excavating the battery, along with the design and drainage. It
doesn’t mean it’s going to happen next year, or the year after. The commission
would still have a lot of work to do to.”
The foundation's president, Steve Bates, could
not be reached for comment. However, the group’s website does list Battery
Blair as one of its two ongoing projects, along with the multi-site arboretum
it has been instrumental in creating through the past few years.
From 1872 to 1962, Fort Williams was a
military installation, with the first gun battlements built for harbor defense
constructed in 1898. During World War I, the site was fully manned with
artillery and anti-aircraft guns were added. In World War II, it was the
headquarters for the defense of Portland against any Nazi incursion.
The military decommissioned the fort in 1962
and, two years later, the town bought the property for $20,000. However, more
than a decade passed before the site began to resemble the park people
recognize today. In fact, the site was not officially designated as a park
until July 1979, following rejection of ideas for use including low-income
housing and a “coastal science” center.
In 1975, a major sewer project in town generated a huge amount of fill that
had to be put somewhere. So, into the park it went.
“We needed a place to put all the excess soil,”
said Malley. “Basically, all of the modern-day park you see was created out
that fill. It was used to shape the park as you see it now.”
Two
of the batteries were covered completely, while Battery Blair’s north gun
emplacement was left exposed. To mark the fort’s centennial in 1999, money was
raised to turn the exposed platform, located just behind Portland Head Light,
into an “interpretive center," making it by the foundation's estimate “one
of the most visited areas in the Park.”
In 2009, the Fort Williams
Commission founded a Battery Blair Committee to unearth the battery in order to
better illustrate the history of the park.
“In the 35 years since the
batteries were buried, there has been a growing belief that the Park's rich
history, especially its military history, is significant and that it is
critical to educate the public on the importance of the preservation and
interpretation of historical areas," according to the foundation website.
“The Commission believes that Battery Blair is a unique structure worthy of
deeper study for restoration.”
In addition to Rick Renner Architects
of Portland and Woodworth Associates of Brunswick, firms helping craft the
feasibility study include Becker Structural Engineers of Portland and Tom Emery
of Stantic Inc. consultants.
At a previous meeting of the Fort
Williams Advisory Commission, Bates estimated the full project to uncover and
restore Battery Blair could ring in at “just under $1 million.”
Two weeks ago, the Fort Williams
Commission took a tour of an old military battery on Cushing Island, in order
to get an idea for what Battery Blair might look like one the magazines and
power rooms are uncovered.
“That provided people with
visualization with what the battery is like, because it and the one on Cushing
are virtually identical,” said Nickerson.
While the Cushing battery is reported
to be perfectly preserved, thanks to it being on private land, Battery Blair is
believed to hold a host of graffiti from the decade it was open to the public
before the 1975 burial.
That might present some issues when it
comes time to clean the battery, if it is unearthed, but a hard scrubbing may
be the least of the issues at hand.
“If you clear some of the land away,
where is the surface water going to go?" said Malley. "That’s the
real challenge in my opinion."
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