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Lamoine: A Place with a Poker Face
Lamoine Beach is a favorite place for residents’ recreation—when
they are not in committee meetings deciding the town’s future. |
With miles of
country roads and views of Frenchman Bay, Lamoine exudes
tranquility.
Even as the next
town over from the county’s commercial center of Ellsworth, Lamoine
provides an image of the simple life that many seek.
But beneath all the
seashells and balloons is gravel…the town’s calling card when it
comes to how some people make a living off the land.
There has been no
shortage of debates, decisions, public hearings and appeals over
land use and its limitations in town the last few years. The town is
home to as many as 18 gravel pits.
Lamoine also sits
atop an aquifer, and the protection of such a resource has been the
largest local issue so far this year.
In February,
residents voted down substantial changes to the Building and Land
Use Ordinance. It was a blow to the town’s planning board, which had
advocated a limit on commercial activity—no more gravel pits, for
example. The planners had in mind the protection of the town’s water
source for the long-range future.
But the town’s
rejection of such an ordinance change, by a 2-to-1 ratio, was a
wake-up call for both sides. Out of the ordinance debate came plans
for a conservation committee, which is now running smoothly as one
more avenue for action in Lamoine.
The community’s
cares spill over beyond just environmental concerns.
Town residents want
a place that works, and they are stepping up to have a hand in such
decision making. Toward that end, a Public Works Study Committee
formed last spring.
No fewer than 16
are on the committee tasked to study the town’s needs involving
roads and transportation, solid waste and town facilities. |
