For several years, a local nonprofit organization, Strategies for a Stronger Sanford, has had a goal to someday fix up Carpentier Park on Grammar Street in Sanford so that neighborhood children can use the fields and athletic court for recreation and community activities.

Now that the Sanford Town Council signed an agreement at a recent meeting on Tuesday, April 7, to allow the organization to fix up the park, Kathy McKechnie, the board chairman of Strategies for a Stronger Sanford, is hoping to begin improvement work on the park within the next few months.

"Strategies for a Stronger Sanford and the town have been in talks about fixing up Carpentier Park for at least a year," said Sanford Town Manager Mark Green. "This is the first time the town has voted on it."

Strategies for a Stronger Sanford works with individuals, businesses and other organizations for community improvements, particularly in the Lafayette School and Carpentier Park neighborhood. McKechnie helped found the organization, which is funded $2,500 each year by the town, in 2004.

Marcel Blouin, the Sanford Parks and Recreation and Public Property director, said for years the park only has been in use during the summer by the town's recreation camps. The park is currently maintained minimally year-round by the town, he said.

While Carpentier Park isn't a large park, there's enough room for a baseball field, tennis courts and a small building, Blouin said.

"The 25-feet by 50-feet building, which is in the center of the park, doesn't have heat, so right now, it's only usable in the summer," said Blouin. "During the summer, the recreation camps use it when it's raining outside. The upstairs is used for storage of the department's outdoor equipment. It's not really meant to be used as much of an indoor facility right now."

Blouin said the town has wanted to fix up Carpentier Park, but there hasn't been enough funding left in the budget in the past few years for the amount of work that the park needs.

"The work that the park and the building may need in order to be useable and up to code on a year-round basis could cost up to $250,000," Blouin said. "A heating system would need to be put in and the building isn't insulated. The bathrooms and the rest of the building would also need to be brought up to code. In addition, the organization wants to do a lot of work outside. Strategies is aware of all of this, and they really want these park improvements to become a reality."

Some of the particular improvements McKechnie would like to see at the park are fixing up the fields so they can be used for baseball, soccer and kickball games; taking out the old tennis courts and turning them into basketball courts; putting computers into the building; and using other parts of the building for arts and crafts, a small library and storage area for outdoor equipment.

"We want to make the park into a family center for neighborhood families and kids," said McKechnie. "We want this to be a positive thing for neighborhood kids - a way to get them outside and involved in community activities."

McKechnie said last year the organization, which works with groups of local students, planted a community garden in the park.

"The garden was really successful," she said. "The kids planted vegetables and flowers and then came back to water them each week. In the fall, we held two community picnics at the park, where the kids played gamed and invited their families. It's something we'd like to do regularly here."

The organization's first step in fixing up the park is to get an assessor to estimate what work needs to be done in the building for it to be up to code. Next, the group needs estimates on how much the work to the building and fields will cost, McKechnie said.

"Once we figure out what work needs to be done, we'll immediately start what work we can with the money we have," she said. "We hope to start working on the improvements sometime this spring, work through the summer and fall, and then hopefully have the building at least partially ready for use by the kids this winter. In the meantime, we'll be working hard to fundraise."

McKechnie said Strategies for a Stronger Sanford is working with Sanford Grant Writer Lee Burnett on applying for grants to fix up the park, as well as coming up with ideas for fundraising.

"So far, we're working on a development plan for the park," McKechnie said last week."We want this park to become a great place for the neighborhood."

Sanford resident Jim Levesque said he has been bringing his daughter, 12-year-old Victoria, to Carpentier Park for years to play on the playground or on the field.

"[Victoria] doesn't want to come here as much as she used to since she's getting older, but I used to bring her here almost every day to play when she was younger," said Levesque last week as he watched his daughter and a friend run up and down the playground slide. "I remember coming here when I was little all the time, too. Back then this park was even more busy than it is today."

Levesque, who lives around the corner from the park, said he's excited to hear that Strategies for a Stronger Sanford will be fixing up the park soon.

"I think it's great, and people will begin using the park even more," he said. "It'll give local kids something to do - keep them out of trouble."