Newport eyes future of lake, lifestyles

NEWPORT – On the heels of national recognition of the town’s commitment to the environment and conservation in creating a fishway at Sebasticook Lake and returning the Sebasticook River channel to its original location, Town Manager James Ricker is looking forward to even more far-reaching accomplishments.

He is proposing that the Board of Selectmen create the Sebasticook Lake Task Force, a panel that will be charged with researching ways to sustain the lake’s quality and presence, while still meeting the community’s lakeside and recreational needs.

“The most important treasure we have in this town is Sebasticook Lake,” he said Friday. “We need to plan for its future.”

The 5,000-acre lake, visible alongside Moosehead Trail, or Route 7, is located completely within Newport’s boundaries and is not only a destination for countless sportsmen and sportswomen, but it also contains a fish weir at least 5,800 years old, one of North America’s greatest archaeological finds.

By the end of the month, the purchase of an abandoned railroad bed between Newport and Greenville should be completed – a trail that already draws more than 200 ATV riders each weekend.

Ricker said the selectmen have previously entered into discussions about providing space and parking at the head of that trail along Route 7. Also, for the past two years the town has leased space in Banton’s Cove for parking of snowmobiles and trailers.

“But at the same time, we recognize that recreational uses and overdevelopment put pressure on the lake,” said Ricker.

Looking ahead to protecting the lake and its shoreline, Ricker said, the task force can look at future growth along the lake, how to protect and promote the lake, retain green space, investigate the impact of future construction and recommend recreational improvements.

“The Sebasticook Lake is classified as one of the most at-risk lakes in the state,” said Ricker, referring to the town’s 20-year successful restoration effort to rid the lake of algae. “As such, the town owes it to the people to preserve its integrity.

“We can learn from all the mistakes made at other overdeveloped Maine lakes. Can you imagine what would happen if we allowed buildings on the lake to be 200 feet apart?” Ricker asked. “The runoff issues, the phosphorus entering the lake – we would not be able to handle it.”

Ricker said Newport is one of the state’s 85 service center communities, with many of its businesses catering to tourists, recreationists and snowmobilers.

Much of this retail and commercial growth was an accident of location, since the town sits at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Routes 2, 11, 100 and 7.

Although the explosion in development at the intersection known as The Triangle has boosted Newport’s tax rolls and provided hundreds of jobs, Ricker said the town couldn’t afford to sit back again and leave development on the lake to chance.

“We need to look ahead and take control of the future of our lake and the surrounding area,” he said. “While meeting the needs of recreational users, we still need to maintain the integrity of the community.”

“Part of that integrity is the availability of green space,” Ricker said.

The manager said the time is ripe to build on the town’s recent environmental successes, including the improving quality of the lake’s water and the rebirth of the Sebasticook River.

“Who would have imagined 15 years ago that we would be hosting bass tournaments on our lake? And that river was called a bog hole,” he said. “Does it look like a bog hole now?”

Future plans on the riverbank call for a riverwalk project, parks, skating rinks and other recreational and scenic areas. The town also plans to create a path where visitors can be guided by a brochure and map from the fish weir to a second archaeological site on an island behind the town office, to buildings such as the former Grange Hall, the North Newport Church, the Newport Inn, the many landmark churches and other historic buildings and sites.

Marrying the interests of historians, recreationists and residents will be a challenge, he admitted, but by carefully appointing members to the task force that will represent all the interests of the various groups, including the environment and conservation, a solid plan for the future can be created.

Ricker said the task force would be charged with answering the questions: Where do we want to be in 30 years? How do we get there while protecting the lake and the town?

“Basically, we need to decide what we want our children to inherit,” he said.