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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 15
20 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
April 13, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4B
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Back to square one Selectmen reject community development director nominee
SEARCH IS ON — Mark Dubois, Natural Resource manager for Poland Spring, outlines the company’s plan to build a fourth bottling plant in one of three locations in Maine, as well as seek out additional spring sources. He presented information and answered questions at a Tuesday forum organized by the Fryeburg Business Association.
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer The search for a new Community Development Director will continue. Bridgton Town Manager Bob Peabody thought he had a top candidate when he nominated Theresa Oleksiw of Freeport. An interview panel whittled a prospective list to four individuals, who were interviewed for the post. The panel included Peabody, Deputy Town Manager Georgiann Fleck, Selectman Bear Zaidman, Planning Board Chairman Steve Collins, Land Use Zoning Committee chairman Chuck Renneker, and Code Enforcement Officer Rob Baker.
The panel expressed interest in three candidates who were to receive a second interview conducted by Peabody and Fleck. One candidate withdrew from consideration. Following the second interview, Peabody decided to nominate Oleksiw, a resident of Freeport. Oleksiw was introduced at Tuesday’s meeting, and spoke briefly about her planning background. She worked in the field for 18 years, one in New York and 17 here in Maine. She holds a degree in Natural Resources from Rutgers University and University of Maine, as well as a master’s of professional studies in Community Development from the
University of Maine. In New York, she was a senior planner and planning director, managed multiple regional planning projects and directed the State of New York application review process. Oleksiw was a land use planner for the State of Maine from 1990–1994; was a regional planner for Androscoggin Valley Council of Government 1994–97; was a planning and development director for Topsham, city planner for Biddeford 2000– 03, and a planning consultant for Harspwell and Bowdoin in 2004–05. She told selectmen that she had written land use ordinances and comprehensive plans. NOMINEE, Page 2A
Fryeburg one of three possible bottling sites By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer FRYEBURG — Water pumped from a spring in Fryeburg may not travel as far before it lands into a bottle. Poland Spring is considering Fryeburg as a possible site for a bottling facility — the company’s fourth plant in Maine. Mark Dubois, who serves as the Natural Resource Manager for Poland Spring, and a team of company representatives met with Fryeburg Business Association members and the public Tuesday night at an informational forum held at Fryeburg Fairgrounds. “Poland Spring is look-
ing to sustainably expand our operations here in Maine. We are currently exploring options for a fourth bottling facility and new spring sources in western and northern Maine,” Dubois said in a press release prior to the meeting. “Given our history here in Fryeburg, we are considering this community as a home for our new facility. A new facility could represent a $50 million investment along with 40 to 80 new jobs with expected wages around $20 per hour, plus benefits.” Many factors will go into making a final decision on a new facility. However, because the amount of water Poland Spring can extract from the Fryeburg aquifer
needs to remain sustainable, Poland Spring will need to identify two new spring sites regionally to support the expansion. The News posed the following questions to Dubois: BN. How long has the company been considering another bottling plant, and reasons to look into it? Dubois: As public demand for our product has grown (Poland Spring is the number one selling natural spring water in the country, and it is the number one skewed product in both Boston and New York City), it’s become clear that to meet growing demand, we need another bottling facility. We made the decision early in
2017 to begin looking for a fourth facility location. BN. As for new spring sources, has the company already started to look in the Lakes Region? How does the company go about locating a “new source?” Dubois: We look for new sources in several ways. We’ve received several inquiries from Fryeburg area residents, who believe they have viable springs on their properties and have contacted us asking to come inspect them. We also consult geological maps to locate good springs from healthy aquifers. Once we think we have identified a source, we conduct sophisticated hydrogeological testing, including
Cupola part of Village Green? By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The historic cupola returned to the conversation, but this time it could be a line item in the proposed budget. Last month, Selectman Kevin Rogers brought up the topic of the Bay of Naples Inn (often referred to as the hotel by locals) and its last remaining relic, a cupola donated to Naples Museum Director Merry Watson. On Monday, Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak had a solution for moving the cupola to the Village Green as part of a project using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds. “Moving the cupola with TIF funding — I thought it was a stretch” because in order to use TIF money, it has to have an economic benefit, Paraschak said. “If the Village Green got
an overhaul” and there was an economic windfall from the improvements, TIF money would be doable, he said. “Lovell has a nice village green. People have weddings there. We could gear it toward economic benefits not just to move the cupola.” Throughout the discussion, Paraschak said the overhaul of the Village Green would include removing dying pine trees or delimbing them and putting in a better lawn and improving the landscape, plus addressing the drainage problem from the town hall parking lot. The cupola would be showcased in a space on the revitalized Village Green with the purpose of keeping tourists in town longer. Chairman Bob Caron II advocated for a written plan to justify using TIF money. “If we had plan to update the Village Green, upgrade CUPOLA, Page 5A
With a tight timeline between now and June 7, the date set for the town meeting in Naples, two pre-advertised public hearings would need to be held in order for the sign ordinance to become town meeting business. In order for any ordinance to be adopted, it must be approved by the majority of residents during the town meeting. Currently, the sign ordinance draft is being reviewed by the town’s law-
new spring source and to plan for the future. An aquifer must be constantly overflowing for us to extract water from it. Even in a drought, the aquifer must overflow, and so testing done during a drought is a conservative time to evaluate sustainability. If a spring continues to overflow even under those conditions, we have a good idea that it will be sustainable in the future, as well. We constantly monitor our springs and aquifers — and we adjust our usage accordingly, so that our extraction is responsible and sustainable in the long-term. BN. You mentioned in your e-mail the company BOTTLING, Page 3A
Land Use rules pushed to Nov.
DIGITAL SIGNS ON HORIZON — Digital signs are addressed in the Town of Naples’ proposed Sign Ordinance. In the next two weeks, a copy of the proposed Sign Ordinance will be available to the public on the town’s website or by acquiring a copy at the town office. (De Busk Photo)
Review could delay sign ordinance By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — What is certain: There is a proposed sign ordinance that addresses the distinct sections of Naples and takes into account the preservation of night-time sky as digital signs become more popular. What is uncertain: The proposed sign ordinance may or may not appear as a warrant article at the upcoming Naples Town Meeting.
a long-term pump test, to ensure that the source meets our standards. This work is then typically presented to regulatory agencies, like the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), for permitting. BN. Coming out of a drought year, is it a tough sell for Poland Spring regarding seeking out new spring sources as well as seeking extraction agreements? I suspect it is more about public education regarding water extraction and monitoring, especially during dry seasons. Dubois: Public education is key. It may seem counterintuitive, but a drought year is the best time to identify a
yer, Attorney Sally Daggett. Some of the concerns that will be directed to the town’s legal counsel were mentioned during a multiboard sign ordinance workshop on Monday. According to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, the town attorney’s recommendations should be wrapped up in about a week. On Monday night, the Naples Board of Selectmen held a Sign Ordinance
workshop with the Naples Planning Board and members of the Naples Ordinance Review Committee. There was some discussion regarding the timing for the sign ordinance to be a warrant article at this year’s town meeting. Planning Board Chairman Larry Anton said it was his personal opinion that the sign ordinance should not go to the town meeting this June, SIGN, Page 5A
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer William O’Connor can see the writing on the wall. If the town presents the proposed Land Use Ordinance to voters at June’s annual town meeting, O’Connor suspects there is a high probability that the document is rejected. After two years of work by a seven-member committee, O’Connor and others understand a harsh reality — many people either simply don’t understand what the group is trying to do or don’t even know a proposal is on the table. Following some recent public hearings, during which several residents spoke against various components of the proposed land use regulations, the committee met last Wednesday. “We had a really good meeting,” said O’Connor, who is Land Use Zoning Committee vice chairman. “We did a lot of soul searching.” The group reached a conclusion — they need to delay presenting the proposal to voters at the annual town meeting, and target November instead. O’Connor told selectmen that any success of gaining passage depends on community outreach and education. He admitted that committee members “have been all so close to it that we didn’t see some of the questions people had.” He noted that the group’s intent was to preserve Bridgton’s character as identified in the Comprehensive Plan, and not drive away business. He also understands that when residents pick up the proposed land use rules and regulations to review it, “they are intimidated by the size of the document.” Although the committee has publicized meeting dates and spoken on many occasions to interested parties, O’Connor said the next several months will be used to “get the message out” through as many means possible — from front page articles in The News to more public sessions. “We are open to the public. We’re nice people. We want to hear what the public has to say,” O’Connor added. “We didn’t LAND USE, Page 2A
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