Katahdin-area towns map revitalization

MILLINOCKET – Job growth, integrated municipal services and maximized educational opportunities were the top three objectives in a draft report crafted Saturday at Stearns High School for the revitalization of the Katahdin Region.

On the fourth and final day of the Katahdin Area Planning Conference, more than 50 residents, students and elected officials from East Millinocket, Medway, Millinocket and Woodville put the finishing touches on a potential road map to help the region rebound from a declining population and economic base.

Other less urgent objectives in the report included developing a common pride in and beautification of the region, promoting recreational and cultural activities, offering affordable health care and creating an exciting life for young adults.

Earlier in the conference, participants created a vision of the region in 2050 with people as the area’s greatest resource. Through a voting process, participants later determined economic and job growth to be the top priority for allocation of resources.

The state of the area’s economy is the prime constraint or “bottleneck” that’s keeping the region from moving toward the vision, according to conference facilitator Michael Kelly of the Wiscasset-based Advanced Management Catalyst, Inc.

“You want to get this done as fast as possible,” Kelly said Saturday. “You throw everything you’ve got into it.”

As part of an action plan developed Saturday, participants broke into groups and defined expected results for each of eight objectives, as well as specific milestone dates to measure progress.

The group working on the economic growth objective proposed profiling the current work force, redesigning a regional Web site and creating an investment fund with $25 million in outside funds – all by January 2004.

Other regional milestones proposed in the action plan include:

. A detailed plan for the integration of municipal services among the four towns by Jan. 31, 2004, with implementation six months later.

. Reviewing past school cost-sharing studies and having a plan in place to resolve the “consolidation issue” by March 2004.

. Developing a committee by January 2004 to generate support for funding a paid festival coordinator.

. Having 25 percent of the work force composed of people ages 18-30 by January 2005.

The participants really “stepped up to the plate” during the conference, completing a year’s worth of planning in four days, Kelly said.

“There are 8,500 people up here who can’t afford to fail,” Kelly said. “These people know what they want.”

Kelly and his team will make at least monthly trips to the region to help train the eight team leaders how to manage projects.

In the meantime, participants are hoping to generate interest among community members who didn’t attend the conference.

“We have a lot of work to do and it’s going to take a solid team effort to put it together,” said Herb Clark of Millinocket.

The conference was an important step in unifying the four-town area, according to Medway participant Peter Osborne, a junior at Schenck High School.

What ultimately results from the conference may be the deciding factor in whether or not Osborne returns to the area after college, he said.

“I’d like to see what the area looks like when I get out of college,” Osborne said. “I’d love to come back if it was worth it.”