Frequently Asked Questions

Provide information to the City and the Park Commission about how OPL can support adopted goals through a shared agreement.

• Example: MOU between the City of Excelsior and the nonprofit parks organization Community for the Commons, signed in 2019

Provide information to the public about what partnership means, and how it is managed, via the Orono Parks Legacy website.

• All information about the organization, how it operates, how it partners, and its tax filings and agreements, will be provided on its publicly accessible website (www.oronoparkslegacy.org), which is under development now.

Uphold strict criteria for OPL to partner on an initiative, including:

• OPL will require verification of City Council approval and interest in advance of the Board adopting a project as an OPL initiative, with verification to include (1) proof of the City Council Action approving the project, and (2) a written letter from City Staff confirming the approval and expressing the City’s interest in partnership. These are to be provided to the Board by the project champion.
• OPL will require verification that the community partner’s fundraising goal is informed by a known project budget, with verification to include (1) the City’s professional cost estimate for the project and (2) a written statement by City staff outlining project budget sources and uses, and defining the funding gap. These are to be provided the the OPL Board for review by project champions

• Create and maintain an informative website with plentiful information about our initiatives.
• Uphold total transparency online and in public records about our organization, its policies, its leadership, and its finances, including all tax filings. 
• Make our members and partners available in public forums, especially at meetings of the City Council and Park Commission, in order to be visible and accessible to the community on all projects that OPL is supporting.

Orono Parks Legacy and the City of Orono are compiling a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will be available here when complete.

See the list of successfully completed projects and projects we are currently supporting under the “Projects” navigation link above.

Contributions for a specific project will be restricted for the intended purpose.

All OPL Officers and Board Members serve on a volunteer basis. A small portion of funds designated for specific projects is retained by Orono Parks Legacy to cover administrative costs including legal, accounting, website hosting and management, etc.

Funds not designated to a specific project are held in a non-restricted fund to be used in support of OPLs Mission and Vision.

If you have an idea for a park in Orono, your first step would be to establish a constituency of community members with an interest in your idea. Connecting with the Orono Parks Commission would be your next step to begin the process of moving your idea forward.

If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on our website.

Each major project will set a target for percent of our fundraising goal to be pledged before we collect funds. Checks will be held, and pledges will not be collected until that percentage is reached.