Plum Creek’s sprawl threatens Moosehead region

I am an 82-year-old woman, not a lifelong resident of Maine but a relative newcomer to the state, and I want to share some of my concerns about the Plum Creek plan. My daughter and I traveled to various places – Alaska, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Rangeley Lakes and Moosehead Lake – looking for the most desirable spot to settle permanently, where we would be the happiest. After vacationing both in summer and winter, we decided the Moosehead Lake region was it.

There were many reasons for this decision. First and foremost, we were in awe of the beauty and grandeur of the forests, the lakes and the mountains. We both like to snowshoe, hike and canoe. Here was an oasis of peace and serenity where one could commune with nature, listen to the birds sing and observe wildlife. What a counterbalance to help alleviate the stresses of daily living. There are very few places like this left in the U.S.

We were also attracted to the town of Greenville. The people were so friendly and welcoming, we knew it would not take us too long to settle in and to be able to participate in community affairs. For such a small town, we were impressed with the stores, the restaurants, the churches and the high quality of the local school and hospital.

My daughter and I moved to the Greenville area at the end of 2003. Less than a year and a half after we arrived, Plum Creek submitted its concept plan application. My fear is that Plum Creek’s proposal, as written now, would destroy the very “quality of place” that made us want to settle here. This unique “quality of place,” if preserved, will draw others to purchase homes in the region and will support the growth of a sustainable nature tourism economy.

I’m not against development, but I am against the massive, sprawling type of development in Plum Creek’s current plan. For instance, Plum Creek is proposing both a resort and large-scale residential development on the Lily Bay Peninsula. This development would have an adverse impact on the experience of visitors to Lily Bay State Park. Currently, the park provides people – both from Maine and from away – an affordable way to enjoy some of the finest shore frontage on Moosehead.

With a resort plus 150 new house lots on the Lily Bay Peninsula, the unspoiled views and quiet atmosphere of the park would be gone. Instead of unbroken forest, visitors would see the equivalent of a new town across from the park, and noisy boat traffic would clog Lily Bay. The new development would also place further demands on the Lily Bay Road, which is already unsafe at current traffic levels. People come to the Moosehead region to get away from the busy hubbub of daily living and “recharge their batteries.” Would they still want to drive all the way up here if the peace that sets Moosehead apart from other places is destroyed?

It’s true that the town of Greenville needs an economic boost. However, it is not at all clear that the development proposed for Lily Bay would provide a net economic benefit to Greenville. People staying at the resort would probably eat and shop right there, rather than driving half an hour to patronize restaurants and stores in Greenville. And what kinds of jobs would the resort offer? Most would likely be seasonal, low-paying jobs without benefits, not the kinds of jobs that would support a family. Taxes from the development at Lily Bay would not go to the town of Greenville. And since most or all of the new dwellings would probably be second or retirement homes, it seems unlikely that they would send students to the Greenville school.

To benefit Greenville, new development should: 1) Be kept close to town (or even better, within town boundaries); and 2) Be balanced by permanent conservation of more remote areas like the Lily Bay Peninsula that provide the “green infrastructure” that will support a sustainable nature tourism economy for generations to come.

As I learned on my cross-country search for the place I wanted to spend the rest of my life, the Moosehead region is not only a state but a national treasure. I hope all parties involved in evaluating Plum Creek’s application will work together to keep it that way.

Nadine L. Weiger lives in Greenville Junction.