Scarborough Planning Board greenlights construction of Portland Rugby Football Club’s fields

The Portland Rugby Football Club plans to construct two recreational rugby fields alongside supporting facilities.

The Scarborough Planning Board has approved a proposal by the Portland Rugby Football Club to construct two recreational rugby fields along with ancillary facilities. The endeavor, located at 122 Two Rod Road, entails the development of two rugby fields complemented by walkways, access roads, a clubhouse, bleachers, and parking facilities.

Concerns were raised regarding potential historical remains and water supply in December. The applicant addressed these concerns by providing detailed documentation from a licensed well driller and affirming adherence to state laws regarding the discovery of remains on the construction site.

The Portland Rugby Club said it has wanted a permanent home for its activities for a long time. With the acquisition of property at 122 Two Rod Road two years ago, this dream is closer to reality. The proposed facilities include both large and small fields, a clubhouse, and bleacher seating to accommodate spectators.

Notable features of the project include widened driveways for improved access, stadium lighting for night games, and provisions for ample parking, including spaces for buses. Plans for a practice field, expandable in the future, were also outlined, with attention given to addressing concerns raised during the board meeting regarding parking arrangements.

Civil engineer Jodi Dube-O’Neal outlined the project’s compliance with environmental regulations, including permits from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Additionally, the project owners committed to collaborating with local authorities to preserve native plant species and mitigate environmental impact.

“You did a good job with the burial sites,” Planning Board Chair Rachel Hendrickson said. “You found info that I didn’t know was out there. I appreciate all the effort you took and your willingness to continue to follow state law and Scarborough’s wishes.” After review with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and much surveying of the property, no historic remains have been found on the property.

Addressing concerns about lighting and traffic, the project team presented findings from traffic impact studies, indicating minimal disruption to local traffic patterns and no adverse effects on road safety. Moreover, club representatives said measures will be taken to minimize light pollution and ensure compliance with sight distance requirement.

A number of residents expressed support for the club’s initiatives and the benefits it will bring to the community. “It is great for the community and town,” Mike Connelly said. “I think benefits for the community outweigh any negatives. And it is preserving green space. Sports are important. And more space will only benefit our community.”

“Congratulations. We Look forward to having you in Scarborough,” Hendrickson said. The board unanimously approved the project, subject to certain conditions including the payment of traffic impact fees, finalization of site plans, and execution of a stormwater maintenance agreement with the town.

One Field, One Dream! - Join us for a Property Tour.

I've been meaning to capture some of the development of the property as it happens so in years to come there is some sort of record. You know how when you look back at family pictures and you're like "whoa, that was our crazy kitchen before we had it remodeled" and you don't realize how much things change until after it's all happened? To that end I stopped by the property yesterday and walked around with my iPhone to capture a point-in-time of where we are with the project and then overlaid some map pins to tie it together. Enjoy! Dominic Tracey

One Field, One Dream! - Updates from the Field Committee

What an amazing and historic day for Portland Rugby! Men and Women, young and old - we had 60+ club members all pitching in to clear the perimeters of our new rugby fields. Much sweat and a little blood was shed on our new emerging home.

A big thank you to everyone for the great team work day on Sunday, 11/26. It's amazing what we were able to accomplish there. Here are a few pictures from the day.

The Field Committee is working through the final permitting processes with the various government agencies now so things will hopefully start happening quickly in 2024. As you all saw, we're going to need some big machines in there to do the rough site work and they aren't cheap so please reach out to Jim Shiminski if you can make a donation to the Capital Campaign. Just as important will be volunteer efforts and unique skills and tools you may have or have access to. If you have any ideas or anything you think might be of use in this process, please let me know so we can continue building a database.

Moving forward, we'll be running more work day events both big and small and hope to see you out there. Again, thanks for turning out for the club and helping make #onedreamonefield a reality!

One Field, One Dream! - Updates from the Field Committee

We are planning on building one grass field to play on by 9/1/24. That is our goal. One Field, One Dream! That is the short term focus of the field committee and all efforts are laser focused towards that end.

1. The short-term focus of your field committee is to build one grass field, and all efforts are directed towards achieving this goal by 9/1/24.

2. We have submitted plans to the State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the first grass field, along with associated access, lights, and parking. This focused approach will allow clearing and construction to begin in early 2024.

3. The budget for field development is being finalized, and additional community support will be needed to fund the championship field.

4. We plan to communicate progress to your rugby community and are organizing Community Work Days for volunteers to help with tasks like carving out the field boundary path.

5. We'll be holding the first Annual General Meeting of the Club/Corporation for Team and Social Members on December 2 at Gritty's in Freeport. Detailed financial and field project reporting will be provided at that meeting.

6. The new field rendering includes future plans for a clubhouse, stands, and an additional practice pitch, but the short-term focus is on building the first field.us is on building our first field. One Field, One Dream!

Field Committee Update

Site development is never an easy undertaking and it is at times a slog through the unexpected. We have had our share of slowdowns having to investigate active streams a pond, various wetlands and vernal pools, but at the end of June we revived some good news from Inland Fish and Wildlife. That good news has finally given us the required feedback and confidence to advance site/civil drawings to a point that they will be ready for DEP and Army Corps submission. Likely by the end of August.

Sewall Associates are now busy with site grading and engineering drawings that will be the basis of our submissions to regulatory agencies and the town. Once submitted to the Maine DEP we will be at the mercy of their schedule and timing, but our hope is that the review will take a typical 6-month process.

If this review goes through in a timely manner without delay it is conceivable that we could begin the site clearing process in March of 2024. This is of course an optimistic outlook and there could be delays in the DEP and Army Corps reviews. Site development and these approvals are a bit like playing Whack-a-Mole but we will be vigilant to these chances and do our best to keep the review on the short and narrow path to approval.

Work Day at the future home of Portland Rugby!

Thanks to all who turned out for the property at 122 Two Rod Road to partake in a day of cleanup and team bonding. We had a busy group assemble to tackle some tough work; one inside the house finishing the interior demo and the other outside clearing brush and land.

Beers, barbeque and good times were shared by all. Keep an eye out for our next work program and get involved.

Field of Dreams Logo

The Field of Dreams Capital Campaign is moving forward at a steady clip. Most recently we have designed a new logo for the campaign. Keep an eye out as we start to display the new logo on T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers and various social media platforms.

Field of Dreams

Preliminary Development Objectives

• 3 Full Size Rugby Pitches

• At least one turf field

• Lighting on at least one field

• Clubhouse

  • Social Areas – Bar and Meeting Spaces

  • Locker / Change Rooms

  • Restrooms

  • Prep Kitchen

• Maintain houses as rental properties or as lodging for visiting players

• Utilize existing barn for equipment storage

• Parking and Roadways

• Bathroom and changing area near Fields #2 & #3

• Possible Playground and Nature Trail
  
  

Project Status

• Site Survey has been completed

• Wet land Study has been completed

• 122 & 140 Two Rod Road Properties have been purchased

• Club has contracted with James W. Sewall Company (Civil Engineering Consultant) to develop permit level design drawings and details suitable for DEP and local town permit submission.

• 4/12/23 - Scarborough Zoning Board unanimously approved Special Exception Appeal brought forth by Matthew Winch, on behalf of the Portland Rugby Football Club. View Video on Appeal Presentation. Go to time: 1:04:46 for PRFC

• August 2023 - Proposed submittal to DEP

• Capital Campaign is Underway

Project Plan Notes

• The Site Plan is a preliminary drawing and will be changed as necessary to accommodate zoning and wetlands requirements.

• We hope to have permitting complete fall 2023. Then construction on at least one field will commence. In a best case scenario, we would like to be practicing and playing on a field in the summer of 2024.

• A complete project phasing plan is forthcoming.

There is a lot of work happing now to pull this all together. This is very exciting stuff. Please get involved in your Field of Dreams Capital Campaign. You will want to be a part of this.