Veazie council OKs $5,000 for bog project

VEAZIE – Councilors voted Monday night to give $5,000 to the Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Project. The goal of the project is to conserve open land for outdoor recreation while protecting wildlife and habitats.

The project will connect major habitats that are now somewhat secluded, including the Caribou and Orono bogs, Mud Pond, the Penjajawoc Marsh, and Pushaw Lake and Stream.

Newly appointed Councilor Ethel Champaco wanted more time to review the project and voted against the motion. Brian Perkins, who also was recently appointed to the council, abstained from the vote. Three councilors voted in favor of the measure.

Several Penobscot County communities are partners in the project, which is a joint effort of the Orono and Bangor land trusts.

The money will help fund basic operation costs, as well as the purchase of 2,200 acres that recently were made available to the group by a private landowner. The land currently is used as a working forest that supports hunting and trapping, and would likely remain that way after the sale.

A recent anonymous grant of $50,000 must be matched within two years, but will be a big help in purchasing the land, according to project chairwoman Sally Jacobs of Orono.

In other business, the owner of Greystone Mobile Home Park and its manager, Richard Moffitt, met with councilors before the meeting to discuss the revitalization of the park.

Long-term plans to improve the park are in the works, but the major project for this summer is to connect the property to the town water system. There have been problems with the water supply at the park in the past, particularly this winter when freezing temperatures caused broken pipes and impaired efforts to restore water to residents at the site.

The Department of Transportation has issued preliminary permits for the work, and the documents are expected to be finished within the next few weeks.

The water district has agreed to provide staff for the water installation portion of the project, and the council gave unanimous permission for town officials and the park’s owners to proceed with the project.

The council also unanimously voted to appoint Steven Thebarge as a trustee to the Veazie Sewer District. Thebarge will complete the term of Brian Perkins, who recently was appointed to the Town Council.