History
For many years, the State of Maine farmed the area located on the east side of Hospital Street. This large tract of land containing over 200 acres was used to provide hay, grow corn and other crops and raise pigs for consumption by the patients and staff at Augusta Mental Institute. This use was ended in the late 60’s and the land was transferred to the Dept. of Conservation to be managed by the Bureau of Public Lands.
Since the late 50’s, Augusta East Little League occupied a small portion of this property for use by its Little League program. A regulation little league field and adjoining farm league field had been constructed. Baseball was very popular during this period and need for additional facilities became paramount.
A recommendation by a legislative study group to sell this large tract of land for commercial or industrial use prompted a group of Augusta East Little League officials to set in motion the formation of a group of individuals interested in providing needed recreational opportunities for the youth of the greater Augusta area.
Incorporation was accomplished in 1974 and the Capitol Area Recreation Association became a reality. With the help of Senator Bennett Katz of Augusta, legislation was passed allowing the Bureau of Public Lands the authority to enter into lease agreements with private, non-profit enterprises. A 25 year lease was signed and in later years, this lease was renegotiated. At present, CARA has a 99 year lease for approximately 80 acres of land located on the northwest side of Piggery Road.
The first project undertaken was construction of a new little league field. This was followed by construction of two regulation size baseball fields, two softball fields, a professional horseshoe pitching complex, a large multi-purpose field, three Olympic size soccer fields, two outdoor basketball courts, a little league t-ball field and a softball practice field. In conjunction with these major improvements considerable infrastructure was added in the form of dugouts, batting cages, bullpens, press boxes, lighting, seating, fencing, concession areas, electronic scoreboards, and needed parking. Some fields have in-ground irrigation and drainage has been improved where necessary. The access road has been upgraded and is presently paved. Power has been extended and is now available throughout the entire complex.
Many visitors to the CARA complex are under the impression the complex was built and is maintained by Augusta City staff. This is not the case and is probably what makes the CARA complex so unique when compared to other recreation complexes in state and out of state. The complex utilizes no public funds in on-going maintenance and a very small amount of taxpayer dollars have been used over the past four decades in construction. Small businesses, lending institutions, contractors, and private donors have assisted over the years but volunteers have been and are the primary reason this complex is so unique.
CARA’s initial board was comprised of representatives from various youth organizations and members at large, a practice that continues to this day.
CARA’s Presidents since CARA’s start:
- William Perry, served from 1974-1978
- Dennis Towle, served from 1979-1982
- Gary Sawyer, served from 1983- October, 1985
- Joe Linscott, served from October, 1985-1994
- Gary Burns, served from 1995-2005
- Paul Potvin, served from 2005-2016
- Mark O’Brien, serving from 2016 forward
Chronology of Events
Events have occurred over time and individual and organizational initiatives have been realized. Working with the Bureau of Public Lands, the CARA Board and individuals associated with its growing list of sub-lessees have forged working relationships with local contractors, the Maine National Guard, the City of Augusta, and several financial benefactors to carry out multiple projects.
Below, brief descriptions are provided dependent upon the approximate period of activity.
1970-1979
1974: Capital Area Recreation Association incorporated as a non-profit entity.
1976: Augusta East Little League starts construction of a new major little league field, parking area, and upgrading of its farm league field. Access road constructed from Piggery Road to new facility.
CARA enters into a twenty-five year lease with the Bureau of Public Lands for 80 acres of land located north of Piggery Road and east of Hospital Street
1978: Preliminary plans developed and construction begins on Augusta Babe Ruth complex, which consists of two regulation size baseball fields one of which will be large enough to accommodate other uses such as junior football or soccer.
1979: Lights installed on Linscott Field.
McGuire Field construction completed and play begins.
1980-1989
1980: CARA removes all dead and diseased elm trees from Piggery Road and commences a long-term tree-planting program.
Kennebec Valley Horseshoe Pitchers construct a 20-court horseshoe-pitching complex.
Morton Field construction is completed. Field is large enough to accommodate both baseball and soccer.
A National Guard construction project upgrades the Piggery Road by installing a 12 inch gravel base and culverts where needed.
1981: A mud football field is constructed and the first State of Maine mud football championship is held.
1983: Electricity is extended along Piggery Road hooking up the horseshoe complex and McGuire and Morton Fields.
National Guard Armory Committee begins construction of new softball field now known as Minuteman Field.
Piggery Road is reconstructed from Cony Road a distance of 500 feet westerly in conjunction with construction of the new Veterans Home.
1985: Minuteman Field construction is completed and play begins.
1986: Capitol Area Vo-Tech constructs dugouts and large press-box/storage building at Minuteman Field.
1987: Lease with Bureau of Public Lands re-negotiated for a new 25 year period extending until 2012.
1989: State of Maine purchases Minuteman field from Augusta National Guard Armory Committee and deeds premises to Augusta East Little League. State of Maine also makes payment to AELL for acquisition of the AELL farm league team.
1990-1999
1990: Lighting installed on Rivelli and Minuteman Fields.
1991: Lease with Bureau of Public Lands re-negotiated for a period of 99 years extending to 12/3/2090 .
1994: Construction of a large multi-purpose field and parking area begins. Field now known as CARA Youth Memorial Field completed in November.
1995: Backstops and dugouts installed on CARA fields and play begins.
1997: CARA receives dismantled Hadlock Field bleachers and some funding for the erection of bleachers from the City of Augusta . Construction begins on the 1500 seat bleacher project.
1998: CARA signs sub-lease with the Capitol Area Youth Soccer Association for the necessary land area to construct three Olympic size soccer fields.
1999: Construction begins on the soccer fields.
2000-2005
2000: Paving of the easterly end of Piggery road begins.
2001: Soccer complex is completed.
2002: Patriot Field is constructed and completed in a three-month period.
East end of Piggery road paving project completed.
2003: 1000 feet of Piggery Road on west end paved.
2004: Connector road between Morton Field parking lot and Soccer complex is constructed.
2005: Construction begins on 85 vehicle parking lot, access road, and two outdoor basketball courts.
2006-2012
2006: Basketball court paved, parking lot completed, courts are striped and fenced; Basketball court dedicated to John Bridge August 2006; Parking lot adjacent to Minuteman Field is built, Expand Morton Field parking lot.
2007: Signs were placed at each end of Piggery Road; New concession stand Bob’s Kitchen opened at Augusta Babe Ruth; Drainage for T-Ball Field adjacent to Rivelli Field; Perimeter Fence replaced around Horseshoe Complex; Minuteman Field regraded and resurfaced.
2008: Finish Minuteman resurface project; Rebuild infields on Rivelli and Linscott Fields.
2009: Augusta Babe Ruth begins construction of drainage improvements at Morton Field; Drainage work adjacent to Patriot Field.
2010: Augusta Babe Ruth continues with 5 yr. drainage project; Drainage work adjacent to Linscott Field.
2011: Augusta Babe Ruth completes drainage project at Morton Field; Capitol Area Softball Association installs backstop at new practice field; Replace fence on Soccer Complex; Dugouts replaced on Linscott Field.
2012: Dugouts on Minuteman Field are Replaced; McGuire infield is regraded and lip buildup is removed; CARA relocates fencing at southerly end of Youth Memorial Field to begin large scale renovation to increase parking and improve drainage; Hand rails to Morton bleachers are installed and initiates bleacher safety improvements at McGuire Field; Backstop is replaced on Minuteman Field.
Piggery Road 1973
A recommendation by a legislative study group to sell this large tract of land for commercial or industrial use prompted a group of Augusta East Little League officials to set in motion the formation of a group of individuals interested in providing needed recreational opportunities for the youth of the greater Augusta area. Incorporation was accomplished in 1974 and the Capitol Area Recreation Association became a reality. With the help of Senator Bennett Katz of Augusta, legislation was passed allowing the Bureau of Public Lands the authority to enter into lease agreements with private, non-profit enterprises. A 25-year lease was signed and in later years, this lease was renegotiated. At present, CARA has a 99-year lease for approximately 80 acres of land located on the northwest side of Piggery Road.
The first project undertaken was construction of a new little league field. This was followed by construction of two regulation size baseball fields, two softball fields, a professional horseshoe pitching complex, a large multi-purpose field, three Olympic size soccer fields, two outdoor basketball courts, a little league t-ball field and a softball practice field. In conjunction with these major improvements considerable infrastructure was added in the form of dugouts, batting cages, bullpens, press boxes, lighting, seating, fencing, concession areas, electronic scoreboards, and needed parking. Some fields have in-ground irrigation and drainage has been improved where necessary. The access road has been upgraded and is presently paved. Power has been extended and is now available throughout the entire complex.
Many visitors to the CARA complex are under the impression the complex was built and maintained by the city of Augusta. This is not the case and is probably what makes the CARA complex so unique when compared to other recreation com-plex’s in state and out of state. The complex utilizes no public funds in on-going maintenance and a very small amount of taxpayer dollars have been used over the past 40 years in construction. Small businesses,
lending institutions, contractors, and private donors have assisted over the years, but volunteers have been and are the primary reason this complex is so unique.
The paved roadway is used by countless numbers of bikers and employees in nearby offices for walking, jogging, biking, and bird watching. The former location of a mud football field is now a major wetland serving as habitat for countless numbers of birds, mammals, and amphibians. It is quite common to see wild turkeys, deer, geese, and many species of birds.
CARA has planted over 100 trees since 1974 including oak, maple ash, linden, elm, red pine and apple, this effort is on-going. In addition, many of the member organizations have planted shrubs, flowers, and trees in order to make the complex more aesthetically pleasing.
Multiple use of the facilities was a major goal of CARA when it was formed 40 years ago, and this hope has become a reality with many of the fields being used by many different groups. For example, the soccer fields accommodate youth soccer and lacrosse as well as serving as the home field for both Cony boys’ and girls’ soccer. Many other events involving travel teams of all ages are conducted there. The two regulation baseball fields are utilized by the 10 team Augusta Babe Ruth league, Cony High School, Cony Middle School, St. Michael Middle School and American Legion Post 205. The Little League and Softball fields are used by youth from age 5 to 15 and also host many State and Regional tournaments. Cony High School utilized both Rivelli and Minuteman Fields at one time and occasionally practice and play on Patriot Field. The baseball fields, McGuire and Morton, regularly host many tournaments including Babe Ruth District, State, and regional events, High School Class A Regional and State tournaments, and American Legion Zone and State tournaments.
All of the activities conducted at CARA bring many people to this area and these visitors benefit the local economy by shopping, purchasing fuel, patronizing local motels, and eating at local establishments.
As CARA looks to the future, there are certain needs to be met including maintaining the infrastructure that is now in place and replacing structures that have reached the end of their economic life. To accomplish this, CARA will continue to raise funds by utilizing registration fees, selling advertising space, operating concession stands, and conducting tournaments. All of these activities help us meet our goal, but we need to look at other means of obtaining revenue. One method which we have established is the formation of an Endowment Fund which would help us ensure the complex is kept in first class condition as long as there is a need for recreational activity for our youth.
CARA is a non-profit 501[c] corporation meaning that any donation to our organization can be claimed as a tax-deductible donation. Any donation whether it be cash, real or personal property, stock, bonds, etc. will go a long way toward ensuring the CARA complex is properly taken care of for our children, their children, their grandchildren, etc.
Since 1974, there have been over 128 board members giving more than 1,100 years of service to the development of these fields. What distinguishes CARA from many non-profit organizations is that no member of CARA receives any compensation for his or her services.
The History of Piggery Road
by Joe Linscott
There are many conceptions and misconceptions regarding the status of Piggery Road including the belief that Piggery Road is a public way owned and maintained by the City of Augusta. To my knowledge, Piggery Road was never laid out as a public way and was merely a typical farm road used for farming purposes by the Dept. of Mental Health which grew crops, grazed cattle and maintained a piggery which supplied food for patients at AMHI and in turn, this also provided therapeutic benefits for the patients that worked there. Many years ago, a water line was constructed to serve the facilities at Togus and the route of said line lies just south of Piggery Road so in all probability, this farm road has been in existence for over a hundred years. Like many farm roads, the passage of time resulted in deep ruts and a general de-pression of the roadway. Adequate for farm equipment, the roadway was not suitable for vehicular traffic, particularly in wet weather, and local towing companies received many calls for assistance.
When CARA obtained its lease in 1974, the Bureau of Public Lands requested that CARA remove all of the stately elm trees that lined both sides of the roadway as the trees were either dead or dying from Dutch Elm disease. This was CARA’s first major project and a crew was put together to remove the trees. Harvey and Howie Mason agreed to cut the trees in return for rights to the wood. CARA agreed to this and work began. There were quite a few trees, and they were quite large, many being 30 inches in diameter or greater. Once the trees were cut, there were many limbs and branches to be disposed of. This was accomplished by Ralph and Harry Stiman who owned a large bucket truck at that time. Over time CARA removed the large stumps by either excavation or grinding.
In the late 70’s the Glenridge Nursing Home was proposed with the stipulation by the mortgage holder that two means of access be available before they would issue the loan. The City of Augusta was anxious for this project to begin and approached the State and CARA about obtaining a 40-year easement which would extend from Hospital Street along Piggery Road and then follow the Augusta East Little League access road to what is now Glenridge. In return for the easement, the City agreed to improve Piggery Road including several new culverts along this route. They also agreed to fence adjacent to the roadway with page wire fencing on cedar posts. The roadway was improved along this stretch although it still remained gravel. The next work on Piggery Road was done by the Augusta Water District when they replaced the water line to the Augusta Veterans Home. Little work was done to improve the roadway but CARA did receive some waste material. The National Guard had several projects that improved the roadway including raising the grade with gravel and performing some drainage work. CARA provided the necessary grade work. Additional ditching was also donated by Bridge Construction Co.
The roadway, being gravel, became quite dusty in dry periods and blowing dust was a nuisance also posing a health hazard. CARA did not have the funds to pave the roadway but through the efforts of Augusta Babe Ruth applied calcium chloride to the road. This was not a cure-all but a stopgap measure. CARA received many complaints from disgruntled parents along with complaints about the general condition of the roadway. Usually, someone would ask, “When are they going to do something about the road?” We did have the road graded periodically and this would help until the next rainstorm.
Vandalism to the complex has been an ongoing problem since we first began operation. Theft of maintenance equipment, breaking and entering, discarding of trash, tires, and other unwanted items occurred on many occasions. Many parties were held at night particularly in the undeveloped areas now occupied by soccer and lacrosse. The APD responded to many complaints at our complex. These parties also spilled over into the area now occupied by the Pine Tree State Arboretum. Another problem was dirt bikes, 4X4 vehicles, and later on ATV’s. In order to reduce some of our problems, CARA felt it necessary to close the complex at night by installing substantial gates at both ends of the complex. Lajoie Bros. did the excavation and poured the forms. Ralph Stiman of Stiman Steel donated the metal and fabricated the gate for the west end and Ralph donated the steel for the easterly gate which was fabricated by Mark Newcomb. These gates are very substantial but would not stop a 4×4 travelling at high speed as we found out subsequently. CARA supplied keys to all legitimate users including APD and Augusta Fire Department.
The final piece to the puzzle came in place when Bill Dowling was Mayor of Augusta. Bill has been a longtime supporter of CARA along with City Manager Bill Bridgeo. The city had a major paving project in Augusta, and I believe Bob Burns, Gary Burns and myself played a role in having the city provide funding which allowed CARA to have the roadway paved along with the construction of speed bumps. At a later date, in-kind money from the city paid for the striping of a pedestrian walkway and bikeway combined.
After paving was completed, it became apparent that CARA needed to establish a dedicated fund to pay for the eventual resurfacing of the roadway. It was felt each organization including the arboretum should contribute annually to this fund. $500.00/year was felt to be a reasonable amount to collect from each group which if deposited in an interest-bearing account would accumulate to a point where we would have funding available when the roadway had deteriorated to the point that resurfacing is required. As of this writing CARA has over $22,000.00 in its dedicated fund to pay for the eventual resurfacing of the roadway.
Because the roadway is fairly narrow and the pedestrian traffic is increasing annually, CARA is looking at the possibility of a widening along with a sidewalk or pedestrian walkway/bikeway. There is considerable usage of the Piggery Road by employees of the various state agencies located nearby so it is conceivable that state and/or federal funding might be sought if the widening becomes a reality.
