
Dirigo High School junior Kiley LaFollette stands Friday next to the new dog park at McGouldrick Park in Dixfield, where the town dedicated it to her in appreciation for speaking to the Select Board two years ago about improving it. Speaking about a community project as part of an essay assignment in eighth grade, she said, “I still have the desire to make our community better by making changes and getting more use out of McGouldrick Park.” (Bruce Farrin/Staff Writer)
DIXFIELD — Sometimes, the voice of a young person can make a big difference in a community.
That was the case with Kiley LaFollette, who is starting her junior year at Dirigo High School.
At a surprise ceremony Friday afternoon in McGouldrick Park at 38 Dix Ave. the new dog park was dedicated to LaFollette, with the words, “It started with a vision.”
A crowd was on hand, along with food trucks and crafters, to celebrate.
“I wasn’t expecting the sign,” LaFollette said. “Nobody told me about this sign … I really love it. It’s means a lot.”
When Kiley was an eighth grader, she addressed the Select Board on March 13, 2023, about ideas to improve McGouldrick Park, including adding a dog park.
As part of a Capstone project at the TW Kelly Dirigo Middle School, students had to write about a community project. LaFlollette’s essay was about McGouldrick Park. “I still have the desire to make our community better by making changes and getting more use out of McGouldrick Park,” she said at the time.
At that time, board member Pete Holman said, “We’ve been trying to get something going over there and then COVID hit and it kind of dissolved. It could be very nice over there. You pointed out several of the things that need to be done. There’s a lot of cleanup that needs to be done down by the shore, especially for the boat landing.”
Shortly after that meeting, a volunteer group was started, led by Scott Blaisdell. Holman also became a volunteer for the effort.
Blaisdell recalled that at that time, the park was in no shape to construct anything.
“Just to give you an idea, as I was cutting brush down here with Tom Child, he mentioned to me that we had to go to the flag pole and cut brush around it. My reply was, ‘Tom, I’ve lived here all my life. There is no flag pole here.’ Lo and behold, I ended up cutting trees that were 3 inches in diameter, 20 feet tall, right beside that flag pole over there,” he said.
Blaisdell said the park had not been used for many years, and the town had had their snow dump here. “Actually, where the dog park is behind me is where the town snow dump was. So one of our first projects was to get the snow dump relocated.”
He said money raised to construct the dog park came after they hired a forester to come in and remove all the dead trees to sell for lumber.
Blaisdell noted, “This vision is more than just a dog park, because through her vision, we have local people down here, almost on a daily basis, working hand-in-hand together working to help the park.”
He added they have people here most every day using the dog park, using the playground, using the walking trails that go around the outside, use of the boat launch, and of course, the skating rink during the winter.
The boat launch is on the Webb River.
State Rep. Tammy Schmersal-Burgess said of meeting Kiley for the first time, “She’s quite inspirational. Anything that brings a community together, she said, always overcomes her with emotion.”
She presented LaFollette with a certificate, recognizing her contribution toward the dog park. “It enhances our community in a K-9 friendly space, fostering a more welcoming area for dogs and their families. It came with an idea, and an idea can grow into big things.”
Ashley Herrick, LaFollette’s mother and the treasurer for the Friends of McGouldrick Park, said, “Five years ago, our family moved to Dixfield, and McGouldrick Park became more than just a park. It became our backyard and why this is so important to our daughter, Kiley.”
She said, “The transformation so far has been tremendous and seeing the community’s togetherness is what her goal was. I can’t wait to see what our community continues to do with it in the future. You can do anything you set your mind to, and Kiley, I’m so proud of you, as your mom.”
Dixfield Select Board Chairman Richard Pickett said he remembers LaFollette coming to a board meeting with her parents, “and standing up on her own and addressing the Board of Selectmen. She was able to tell us of her vision and asked us if we would see what we could do to help her to make that happen.”
He said he spoke at the middle school last year at the Capstone program and noted, “It’s never a bad thing to share your vision with somebody, to share what you want.”
He told LaFollette, “With your inspiration and your idea, you really spoke to our hearts as the Board of Selectmen. And I just hope there’s people out there who will take this and realize, we have a number of committees right now that need help. People that are willing to stand up for their community, and come in and generate new ideas that we can take to make Dixfield a better community to work and play in.”
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