I urge all Maine citizens to vote no on Tuesday on the transportation bond package. Am I against good roads no? I am against a bond package which bundles good projects with bad ones. Somehow within this bond issue is a project that will not benefit the taxpayers of Maine in any way. That project is the tearing up of the rails from Ellsworth to Calais.

At a time when gas is climbing ever higher, to tear up the most efficient mode of transportation is an unspeakable affront to the citizens of Maine. To subsidize the use of snowmobiles and ATV’s in a time of global warming is an ecological disaster. This project has no final price tag but will cost between $50,000 and $75,000 a mile for 85 miles .It will guarantee the transportation poverty of Hancock and Washington counties forever.

It is strange that the state just last week decided to buy more rail in southern Maine, but cannot wait to tear up the tracks where and when it is needed most. I voted to buy this rail line many years ago in a single line-item bond issue and I think that if Maine citizens had the ability to vote on tearing up this transportation asset, they would vote no.

The rails to trails project will only benefit a small portion of the population of Maine while removing an asset the majority voted for. Please send a message to both the Legislature and the governor of Maine and vote no on this bond issue. If it is voted down, maybe they will rethink the process of bundling projects. And you can save a transportation asset that can benefit you and future generations of Maine citizens.

Geoff Anthony

Blue Hill