The Brunswick Town Council held a regular meeting on the evening of September 2, 2025, addressing a range of topics including park naming, affordable housing policy, a Portland train station relocation, and public safety ordinances. Key actions included amending the Affordable Housing Support Fund to allow spending on studies, appropriating $32,000 for a mobile home park rent stabilization study, and voting to support the relocation of the Portland Downeaster station. The council also set public hearings for September 15, 2025, on several items.
Next Steps: The council will hold public hearings on September 15, 2025, for the fee adjustment, park ordinance, and traffic item. The mobile home park study is expected to take 16 weeks. The affordable housing fund amendment is now in effect.
Good evening, and welcome to the town council meeting in Brunswick of September Second Twenty Twenty Five. Manager Anzi was the meeting properly noticed. Thank you. Counselor Wilson, and the motion was made by Councillor Watson, all the in favor. Welcome back. We are reopening the meeting of September second, twenty twenty-five, and I am calling the role. Actually, I won't call the role, all counselors are present, and I appreciate that. Now I do want to remind everyone to please silence their devices, and let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Councillor Watson. Houston Park. They are this is a matter of history, not only for the town of Brunswick, but especially that area where they owned property grew up. That's a little bit about them. Further, that the property presently named Captain William A. Fitzgerald USN Recreation and Conservation Area, which represents the 66.2 acres that was formerly owned by the U.S. Navy remain unnamed. In the tribute to Captain Fitzgerald, the last commander of the Brunswick Naval Air Station. Making transitions take place. Further, that the body of water within the former Maine Gravel Service property with a surface area of 42 acres of approximately 163.4 total acreage donate donated to the town of Brunswick in 2019 by members of the Crooker family. He named Crooker Pond. This gesture represents a thank you to the Crooker family and is supported by the State of Maine, Department of Inland Fisheries and Water Life, as the agency has already named the body of water crooked pond on their documentation, and uh that is attached in my thing on all the councils have a copy of what I'm reading from. In a brief recap, the water body, the water body on the former main gravel service property be named Crooker Pond. The 66.2 acres formerly known as U.S. Navy property, a radar site that was used, previously named by the Brunswick Town Council in honor of Captain William Fitzgerald, remain unchanged. The two acres combined be named Francis Mahible, Houston Park. To clarify, with reference to the 62 acres, the property, one would indicate that they are intending to visit the William Fitzgerald Reservation at the Francis Metable, Houston Park. A lot of words. I didn't do too bad. But I have provided the council with documentation and the story of the Houstons. The Houstons, uh Francis Houston came from Massachusetts. He uh joined the Navy and from what I can tell and see from his age and everything, and fought in the for the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812. He came here, owned property in the area of this the property in question. In fact, he is bare, he and his wife and family are buried just across the street from the entrance in the Houston Cemetery. He was very active in the community, well respected, well regarded, and people asked for his opinion. He was a black man, and he was very active in finding slaves coming north, and was he and his wife were active as conductors in the Underground Railroad. I see this as a huge tribute to our history, who and what we are, the long long racial integration that has taken place in Brunswick from the 1700s, probably before. This honors our commitment to naming the area, part of the area after Captain Fitzgerald, and then the pond after the uh donating property of a large amount of areas, creating the 229.6 acres of recreation, both active and inactive. I think this is outstanding that one we have some really great people to draw to and name things after, and I think it speaks to Brunswick by two reflecting back to our history. With that, I hope that the town council will agree that this needs to be acted on, and this will give the opportunity for citizens to respond on on the 15th. Thank you, Councillor Watson. We will include that as an action item at our next council meeting. Are there other announcements? Councillor McDonald, you oh, you look like you were ready. No, I was just going through procedures, trying to figure out I was trying to parse. So is this doesn't need to be a public hearing. Okay. Okay, it can just be all right. Thank you. But citizens will be able to comment. Yes.