Plum Creek hearings set for weekend Residents to have their say on Moosehead project

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Beginning this weekend, Maine residents will finally have an opportunity to tell state regulators how they feel about the largest – and arguably most controversial – development proposal in state history.

To some, Plum Creek’s vision of nearly 1,000 house lots and two large resorts near Moosehead Lake is a model of planned growth for areas blessed with natural splendor but short on jobs and economic opportunities.

To others, the additional houses, traffic and pollution threatens to spoil the very “wilderness character” that has earned Moosehead a spot in the hearts of many Mainers.

Those divergent viewpoints, and many more that fall somewhere in between, will be well represented this weekend as the Land Use Regulation Commission begins its long-awaited review of Plum Creek’s application.

The public hearing schedule will kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday at Greenville High School and

continue Sunday at the Augusta Civic Center. Each hearing will consist of a morning session, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., and an afternoon session, 2-6 p.m.

Two additional public hearings have been scheduled in Portland and Greenville, Dec. 15 and 16, respectively. All of the public hearings are expected to be streamed live through a link at www.maine.gov/doc/lurc.

If you plan on attending, state and local officials say to get there early if you hope to address the commission.

Sign-up will begin at 9 a.m. and speakers will be given a number. Speakers will be limited to three minutes but can follow up with written testimony.

“We’ve been making preparations for at least 1,000 [residents] to come and attempt to testify,” John Simko, town manager of Greenville, said of Saturday’s hearing. That said, the Greenville High School auditorium can only hold about 450 people at a time, so some may be left waiting elsewhere.

Simko predicted this Saturday’s hearing will have a bit of a “circus” atmosphere, due in part to the fact that groups on both sides are rallying their supporters to testify. But Simko is reminding local residents that a second Greenville hearing is planned for December 16.

“I really hope that people will turn out from the community,” he said. “My concern is the hearing will be dominated by people from outside of the area.”

Seattle-based Plum Creek’s rezoning application for 975 house lots and two resorts near Maine’s largest lake has sparked fierce debate over the future of the North Maine Woods

The proposal is the largest development plan ever put forward in Maine, but it would also be the second-largest land conservation deal in the nation’s history.

That conservation package, worth an estimated $35 million to Plum Creek, would prohibit development on more than 400,000 acres while still allowing commercial forestry and public recreational access on most of the land.

Because of the crowds expected at the public hearings, LURC took the unusual step this week of issuing two pages of “rules governing public testimony” on the application.

Most of the rules are typical, such as requiring speakers to provide their names and contact information and plans to rotate between supporters, opponents and non-committal speakers.

But in an acknowledgment of the passions behind the issue, LURC is explicitly prohibiting signs and banners inside the facilities and cautioning that applause, boos and other forms of expression will not be tolerated.

And then there is the following statement:

“Attendees are strongly discouraged from bringing backpacks, duffel bags, storage containers or similar items to the facility, and any such items will be subject to search at the door,” the final rule reads. “No food, drink or potentially dangerous items will be allowed inside the facility. In order to comply with statutory provisions in the respective venues, no firearms will be allowed inside the facility.”

Plum Creek offices and the homes of some employees have been targeted by vandals several times since the company unveiled its development plan.

LURC director Catherine Carroll said the commission chairman plans to run a tight ship, especially when it comes to time limits.

“I expect this will be a very civil proceeding,” Carroll said. “We expect that this will be a smooth hearing and that it will not be interrupted because a lot of people are going to want to speak.”

Plum Creek’s Luke Muzzy said that after four years of working on the project, he is excited to be going to public hearing. A Greenville native, Muzzy credited the plan’s vocal opponents with coming up with some “very good ideas” that the company eventually incorporated into revisions.

“When we put [the proposal] out there three years ago, we didn’t expect it to become the story that it has become,” Muzzy said. “However, for something this important to have this type of scrutiny and public input is a good thing.”

More than 30 officially recognized parties will participate in the two weeks of intervenor hearings that begin Monday at the St. Paul Center in Augusta. It is during these intervenor sessions that the parties and commissioners will dissect all aspects of the massive plan.

The commission is expected to reconvene in mid-January for one or two additional weeks of intervenor testimony and cross examination. After the completion of the public review portion, LURC staff will likely spend several months drafting a recommendation to be submitted to the full commission sometime next year.

For more information on the upcoming hearing schedule, the hearing rules or Plum Creek’s application, go to http://www.maine.gov/doc/lurc.

Kevin Miller can be reached at kmiller@bangordailynews.net or 990-8250