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VOTE, VOTE, DRINK COFFEE
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rides to anyone unable to get to the polls on Election Day, next Tuesday,
Nov. 2. Your vote is more important than ever. If you need help getting
to the polls, please call us at 384-8300 and we will give you door to
door service.
And please, come celebrate
our right to vote with FREE COFFEE and cookies all day on ELECTION DAY.
We will be open until 8 pm Election Day, so stop by for a treat and help
us celebrate democracy, as well as SoBo's third anniversary.
posted
August 12, 2004
Partners Protect Two
Big Tracts:
More
than 500 Acres
in
South Berwick, York
Projects
receive boost from
Land
for Maine's Future Program and Towns
YORK - Sugar maples 200
years old and 40 inches in diameter are one feature of a 296-acre parcel
in York. It is one of two major conservation successes announced today
by the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Coalition. The second, located in South
Berwick had been slated for a 50-unit subdivision. At 225 acres it lies
at the heart of a 4,000-acre forest block. Together they protect important
wildlife habitat, provide traditional recreational opportunities and represent
the two largest conservation projects completed by the ten-member coalition.
"Protecting more than
500 acres in southern York County is an extremely rare event," said
Doreen MacGillis, Executive Director of the York Land Trust. "These
successes represent a critical step in efforts to protect important natural
resources in this rapidly developing area."
Both parcels received a significant
boost from the Land for Maine's Future program. The York property, located
near Belle Marsh off of Linscott Road was awarded a $230,000 LMF grant.
In May, Town of York citizens voted to allocate $200,000 to help purchase
the property. The South Berwick parcel near Warren Pond received some
$400,000 in LMF funding and strong support from South Berwick residents,
the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Kittery
Water District.
"These are magnificent
properties," said Keith Fletcher, Mount Agamenticus Project Director
for The Nature Conservancy. "This area is developing quickly. The
landowners and communities of York and South Berwick deserve a lot of
credit for taking charge of their future and supporting conservation efforts.
I am grateful to Andrew Patterson of ATP, Inc., for choosing to sell his
South Berwick property."
The York property, known
as the McIntire Highlands Preserve, boasts some of the largest and oldest
trees in the region. The Maine Natural Areas Program has documented species
of red oak, sugar maple, red maple, hemlock, white pine, sweet birch,
and yellow birch trees between 100 and 200 years old. Four rare plant
species can be found on the site including spicebush, broad beech fern,
white wood aster and sassafras trees. The parcel abuts some 2,600 acres
of open space owned by the Kittery Water District and lies just south
of 1,750 acres owned by the York Water District. The York Land Trust will
own and manage the property.
"This is one of the region's
real gems," says MacGillis "with towering pine and hemlock stands
and a rich assemblage of wetland areas that are teeming with life."
The conservation of the South
Berwick tract ends some three years of negotiations. The parcel harbors
prime habitat for the state endangered Blandings turtle and the state
threatened spotted turtle - in the heart of a 4,000-acre forested block.
The land will be owned and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries
and Wildlife
"This land fits into the
overall conservation picture very, very well," said Jeannie Demetracopolous,
Board Member on the Great Works Regional Land Trust. "This agreement
protects key wildlife habitat and provides public access for future generations."
Both parcels provide habitat
for a wide variety of animal species, such as moose, wild turkey, bobcat,
fisher and a host of migratory songbirds. The tracts are open to the public
for a wide variety of recreational opportunities such as hiking, hunting,
horseback riding, birdwatching, and mountain-bike riding.
"The Land for Maine's
Future Board saw this as an opportunity to build on earlier success in
this area. We really appreciate the strong local partners who made these
great purchases a reality," said Land for Maine's Future Director,
Tim Glidden. "The Board sees parcels like these as part of the "green
infrastructure" of southern Maine that are so essential to the future
quality of life for its citizens."
Some 9,500 acres in the Mt.
Agamenticus region have been protected by various means and organizations
to date. In a six-town region, the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation
Initiative seeks to add thousands more acres to protect and enhance a
full range of ecological and community values on a landscape scale. The
Coalition is comprised of the the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries
and Wildlife, the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Maine
Coast Heritage Trust, the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy,
the Great Works Regional Land Trust, the Kittery Land Trust, the York
Land Trust and the York Rivers Association and theUS Fish and Wildlife
Service/Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.
###
The Mt. A to the Sea Initiative
encompasses the forests around Mount Agamenticus, the York River, the
Brave Boat Harbor Estuary, Cutts Island and Gerrish Island. The greater
Mt. A to the Sea region represents the largest unfragmented coastal forest
between Acadia National Park and the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The Mt.
A to the Sea focus area is approximately 48,000 acres and includes six
communities (Kittery, Eliot, York, Wells South Berwick and Ogunquit).
The effort builds on the success of the 'Mt Agamenticus Challenge' and
was born from the realization that a large vision and collaborative effort
was needed in order to protect this landscape. The initiative aims to
conserve a broad assemblage of ecological, scenic, agricultural and recreational
lands that weave the rich fabric of our community.
posted August 10, 2004
Statement
by South Berwick
Town Councilor John
Rudolph
August 9, 2004
After a great deal of personal
reflection, and conversations with my family and friends I have decided
not to seek reelection to the South Berwick Town Council.
It has been an honor and a privilege
to serve the people of South Berwick during the past two years. I am proud
of the strides the council has made in bringing greater openness to our
town’s government, and our successful efforts to hold the line against
increases in town spending and excessive residential development.
Despite these achievements,
and the personal satisfaction that I have gotten from being on the council,
family and work obligations make it extremely difficult for me to continue
to serve the town in this capacity.
I will devote my full energy
to the council until my term ends in November of this year. In the future
I hope to continue to serve the town in other ways.
South Berwick faces a number
of challenges including the need for economic development that is consistent
with the town’s size and character, the adoption and implementation
of a new comprehensive plan, the need to control traffic in and through
town, the need to hire a new town manager and the realization of plans
to build a new library. I am hopeful that citizens who share my concerns
and values will step forward as candidates in the November election so
that the work I started on the council can continue.
To my family, my friends, my
fellow council members, the town’s employees and all the citizens
of South Berwick I say ‘thank you’ for your support.
Posted November 4, 2003
Election Results
The number of citizens that voted this election
was 2,895. Registered voters that turned out to vote was 66%.
Town Council - 3-year term
Richard Clough - 2,376 votes
Write In - 152 votes
School Board
David Allen - 2452 votes
Write In - 44 votes
Question 1: Citizen Initiative and Competing
Measure
1A. Citizen Initiative - 1,045 votes
Do you want the State to
pay 55% of the cost of public education,
which includes all special education costs, for the purpose
of shifting costs from the property tax to state resources?
1B. Competing Measure - 1,016 votes
Do you want to lower property
taxes and avoid the need for a significant
increase in state taxes by phasing in a 55% state contribution
to the cost of public education and by providing expanded
property tax relief?
1C. Against A and B - 647 votes
Question 2: Citizen Initiative
Do you want to allow
slot machines at certain commercial horse racing
tracks if part of the proceeds are used to lower prescription
drug costs for the elderly and disabled, and for scholarships
to the state universities and technical colleges?
(yes)
1,324 votes, (no) 1,529 votes
Question 3: Citizen Initiative
Do you want to allow
a casino to be run by the Passamaquoddy Tribe
and Penobscot Nation if part of the revenue is used for state
education and municipal revenue sharing?
(yes)
569 votes, (no) 2,312 votes
Question 4: Pollution Control Bond
(yes) 1,806 votes, (no) 900
votes
Question 5: School and LibraryBond
(yes)
1,442 votes, (no) 1,260 votes
Question 6: Transportation Bond
(yes)
1,769 votes, (no) 934 votes
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posted November 14, 2003
Town Council
Votes to Change Meeting Time
At the November 11th
Town Council meeting, the Town Council voted to change their meeting time
from 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., effective immediately.
Look for the report on
this November 11th Town Council meeting soon.
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Posted February
10, 2003
Report on the Community Vision Meeting to Update the Comprehensive
Plan, January 28, 2003
By Mimi Demers
Over 100 South
Berwick citizens met at the Town Hall on Tuesday evening, January 28,
2003, to discuss issues that will effect the town's updated Comprehensive
Plan. The meeting was organized and run by the seven person Comprehensive
Plan Update Committee, assisted by Municipal Resources, Inc., a planning
consulting firm.
Those attending
were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the areas of Housing,
Land Use, Natural Resources, Downtown, Public Facilities, Transportation,
and Historical Resources. The crowd was then broken into smaller groups
of about twelve each to discuss and summarize concerns and ideas. The
meeting lasted less than two hours; at the end residents were asked to
sign up for specific committees. Over the next several months, these committees
will identify areas of concern for South Berwick's future, explore solutions,
and develop goals. There will be another large group meeting in May to
review the work in progress. The Update Committee will then use the recommendations
of the town committees to draw up a plan over the summer. They hope to
have the document ready for review by the Planning Board and Town Council
by this fall.
Any South Berwick
citizen who would like to join one of the above-mentioned committees is
cordially invited to call the planning office at 384-3300.
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Posted
November 23, 2002
Minutes of Traffic Committee Meeting
on October 12, 2002
Present:
John Rudolph, John Ford, Amy Miller, Mark Gagnon, Gerry McPherson and
Pat Robinson.
Rudolph reported that the KACTS group
met Sept. 24 and were very positive about doing a traffic survey in South
Berwick. He said they would vote at a meeting later in October. He said
the state DOT seemed supportive but Tom Reinauer talked with DOT and the
earliest it could be done is probably spring.
There was a discussion of where it
would happen. Perhaps at the dump or post office for the broadest sample
of residents.
During a discussion of traffic on
236 and how it can be improved, McPherson said he was not sure what would
be different in a survey than the earlier state report.. He said in any
event he doesn't think there is any state money available for changes
in 236 such as a turning lane.
He also noted that if 91 is being
redone, as it is, the bypass issue has to be resolved first.
Resident John Sullivan said he loves
to bike and would love to see a dedicated bike path but the only way is
to widen the road.
Resident Patrick Bauhan noted that
a bypass around Hillsboro, NH, seems to be working well. He said we could
contact those town leaders and see what they have to say.
McPherson noted that businesses in
nearby Henniker are nearly all dead from the bypass.
Bauhan said traffic is never going
to get any better in South Berwick and we need to decide now what we want
to do.
Rudolph pointed out that any bypass
would easily take 20 years to happen in any event.
Ron Baker of Beaver Dam Road wanted
to know how long it would take to fix the dangerous intersection off 236
turning into Old Mill. He asked who would fix it, what hope there is that
it will be fixed.
Sullivan asked if there couldn't be
better enforcement of traffic laws and where police are if they aren't
on 236.
McPherson noted that domestic violence
calls take hours with all the paperwork involved. He said most days there
is only one S. Berwick office on duty at a time.
Bauhan said some towns, like Eliot,
have a reputation of having tough police presence. Perhaps if S. Berwick
added an officer or two we could get that reputation and people would
slow down.
Dick Nutter of Quarry Drive suggested
bringing the 25 mph speed limit further south, which would create a slower
drive through town.
Rudolph said the town can set speed
limits on state roads only in limited circumstances.
The next meeting was set for Nov.
7 (but later changed to Nov. 13)
Minutes of earlier meetings are here.
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Notes on the August 5, 2002
Sewer Board Meeting
By Lisa Bauhan
An
unusually large number of citizens attended the August 5th meeting of
the South Berwick Sewer District Board, as the panel considered a plan
to install a new driveway at the sewage treatment plant on Liberty Street.
Approximately 12 members of the public showed up at the meeting to express
their opposition to the driveway, which would impact the last remaining
grassy area along the town's portion of the Salmon Falls River. Expressing
amazement that anyone would even care about such matters, Sewer Board
Chairman Albert Roberge dismissed audience protests, saying they represent
a "not in my backyard" mentality.
"Do you think anyone else cares
about this issue?" he asked. The Board members reiterated that liability
for the once-weekly chemical delivery truck, which must back into the
plant, was their only reason for installing the $40,000 driveway. They
also said that the sight line at the entrance to the existing driveway
is 220 feet, 30 feet short of the town's 250-foot standard.
John Anderson of Vaughn's Lane addressed
technical issues, asking if the Board had applied to the Planning Board
for changes to the entrance. Board Member George Gray affirmed that they
had.
"According to the tax maps, the power company owns the land you want
to put the driveway on. At what point was it acquired by the Sewer District?"
Anderson asked. No one on the Board could answer the question. "If
the power company owns the property, then the Sewer Board has no legal
right to make changes," he added. "Is there a formal position
by the Parks Department or the Highway Department regarding access to
the Sewer plant?"
"The Town and the District are
separate entities," said one Board member.
"I understand that," said
Anderson. "But when you change entrances to shopping centers, when
you change entrances into any commercial property or any other property,
you're required to go before the Highway Department."
"We got nobody shopping down
here," said Roberge.
Sewer Board Administrator Tom Harmon told Anderson that the plan went
before the Code Enforcement Officer when it was first proposed.
"Is there a copy of the requisition?"
Anderson asked. "It was verbal," said Harmon, "via a phone
call." "So there is no formal position on record. Then my question
is: is there a requirement to change your entrance and expand into the
direction of the park, even though you own the land? Is there a change
in your operation that necessitates the expansion of this entrance? Has
it worked up until this point?" Members of the board replied that
it was a safety problem, not a reflection of a change in operation.
"Every bit of the change is on
the Sewer District property, on the land we own," Roberge offered.
"I understand that," said Anderson. "But if I have a piece
of commercial property and I want to change my entrance to it, in most
cases I have to go before the Planning Board and the Highway Department
to get their approval. In your case, where you are a quasi-independent
agency, I would expect that you would have to do the same thing, and I
have not seen or heard anything to the effect that you have done that.
I should think that the Highway Department would have a major impact on
this if the issue is safety."
"I don't believe," said
George Gray, "that the Highway Department has those kinds of requirements."
Nick Baker of Liberty Street told
the Board that it is responding to a need that was self-created, since
the fee that sewage trucks pay to dump their loads at the South Berwick
plant is significantly lower than other plants in the area. "You've
artificially lowered the price," Baker said. "You say you're
not advertising, but you have set a rate, and the drivers all know this."
He pointed out that many more out-of-area trucks come to the plant than
would otherwise because the price is so low.
"The safety problem that we contend
with, with trucks on that road, is created by this artificial pricing
strategy. If you were truly concerned about safety," said Baker,
"you would set the price for pumping of sewage from those trucks
at parity with other plants." The one semi-trailer delivering chemicals
per week that must back in and out of the driveway is a trivial problem,
Baker contended, compared to the daily onslaught of trucks filled with
sewage.
Baker went on to say that the overarching
problem is that "we have to smell the sewage from all those outlying
areas." The Sewer District, he said, was created to handle South
Berwick's own sewage, not effluent from neighboring towns and states.
Chuck Hugo of Liberty Street agreed
that the present driveway is unsafe, and assured the Board that no one
was disputing the "great job" South Berwick has done in dealing
with septic problems in the past. "We're looking for you to consider
another option other than the one I've seen. Less is more here, is what
everyone's saying, and if we can pursue a third option (offering an internal
turn-around for vehicles) that would be a little less invasive, it would
be good."
Hugo was reminded by the Board that,
"we haven't voted on anything, and if someone has a proposal we would
be more than happy to accept it." After the public audience ended,
the Board went on to vote for the original plan which is to install a
new driveway more than 100 feet long and 20 feet wide. Hugo pointed out
that the width of the current driveway (16 feet) was sufficient, and the
trustees grudgingly agreed to this modification.
"From an engineering standpoint,"
said South Berwick resident and architect Mike Lassel, who was consulted
in a later interview, "the proposed driveway is actually better.
There are more turning radii for the truck drivers to deal with, and these
will slow the trucks down." If the existing driveway is capped and
reseeded (with grass), Lassel added, the amount of paved area will be
"about the same" as it is now.
No
Apology Over Apparent Conflict of Interest
Chairman Roberge objected to a commentary
posted on this website saying that Sewer District Administrator Tom Harmon
appears to have a conflict of interest in his dealings with the Sewer
District. According to Skip Clough, director of the sewer plant, all of
the plant's site survey needs are handled by Civil Consultants, a company
owned by Harmon. Dennis Fontaine, a voting member on the Board, also works
for Civil Consultants.
"There is no conflict of interest,"
said Roberge, "I'll tell you why. We have people on the board: an
accountant, a computer expert here, an engineer over here, so if there's
a conflict of interest I think you owe this board an apology for making
that statement."
When asked by this reporter if these
professionals make money off the Sewer Board, Roberge said, " Of
course not." When asked if Tom Harmon makes money off the Board,
Roberge admitted that he does. "But," Roberge asked, "do
you want us to hire a company from Augusta?"
"Sure," this reporter replied,
"because he (Harmon) is on the Sewer Board. He may not be a voting
member, but he has a lot of influence."
"Of course he has," said
Roberge, "but the town manager is not on the board either."
"But you're not hiring his company."
"But really," Roberge said,
"I wish you wouldn't have said that because I don't think that's
right."
"It's the appearance of it,"
offered another audience member.
"Oh, the hell with the appearance . . . that's
enough, you've talked enough tonight."
"For $800 a year I should be
able to talk," replied the person in the audience.
"For $250 a year I don't think
we have to take all this stuff," said the Chairman of the Board.
"I think (Harmon's) doing a helluva job . . . Somebody's
gotta make a profit."
"Then recuse yourself from the
Board, do not have anything to do with the Board if you're making a profit,"
replied this reporter, to which Roberge grumbled, "I don't wanna
hear any more about that."
Member George Gray added that Civil Consultant's rates were "very
reasonable," and that he, too, did not see a conflict of interest.
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Posted November 6, 2002
Election Results
Sue
Roberge, Bob Gagne, and John Rudolph were elected to Town Council. Dick
Brown was elected to the State House of Representatives. Voters opposed
a casino. Here are the results.
Town Council - 3-year term
Sue Roberge -1,449 votes
Bob Gagne - 1,385 votes
Cy Chase - 967 votes
Town Council - 2-year term
John Rudolph (unopposed)
1,821 votes
Maine State House of Representatives, District
4
Richard B. Brown, GOP - 1,677
votes - 53 percent
Barry Abbott, Dem. - 1,511
votes - 47 percent
Casino Referendum
1. Would you support the building of a casino in South Berwick? (yes)
378 votes, (no) 1,937 votes
2. Would you support the building of a casino elsewhere in the state?
(yes)
815 votes, (no) 1494 votes
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