Friends of Bigelow meeting!

[arm]

Friends of Bigelow will be holding an important meeting on Sunday, August 26, 2007 at 3 PM. The meeting will take place on the shore of Flagstaff Lake adjacent to the Bigelow Preserve. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and take possible actions regarding the upcoming LURC hearing (August 30, 2007) on Western Mountains Foundation's (WMF) request for a permit to build a lodging and dining facility on the shore of Flagstaff Lake, not far from the Bigelow Preserve. In addition, Friends of Bigelow will have a brief Annual Business Meeting to elect directors and officers for the upcoming year and other matters.

All are welcome to attend! Please pass the word!

Directions to the meeting from North New Portland:
Take a left off Rt 16 by Morton's store (if you are headed east) onto the Long Falls Dam Road- it is straight ahead by the store if you are headed west. Go 19 miles on the Long Falls Dam Road (notice all the wonderful Poland Spring trucks) to a left onto the East Flagstaff Road (see small sign for the Bigelow Preserve here). Go straight along the dirt road about 2 miles until you see the lake and beach.

Background for our discussion:
Friends of Bigelow has been working since early 2002 to keep WMF's commercial development proposal from encroaching in or near the Bigelow Preserve. While the proposed Flagstaff Lake facility is called a "hut," it is actually a 4500 square foot lakeside resort on the remote, undeveloped eastern end of Flagstaff Lake, which would provide, for a fee, full meals and lodging for up to forty persons a night, not a "primitive recreation opportunity" as stated in the application. The cost of a single hut is stated to be approximately $550,000, with a major portion of financing from public sources (FAME, USDA, Land for Maine's Future). In addition, a 40-vehicle parking lot is proposed for Flagstaff Lake, despite the developer having touted "people-powered recreation" for the past 5 years.

WMF continues its attempt to enrich itself at the expense of Maine's natural landscape and taxpayers. In one form or another, developers from Carrabassett Valley have sought to commercially exploit the natural qualities of the Bigelow/Flagstaff region for more than 25 years.

Do you want to see this resort built on Flagstaff Lake, within 2 miles of the Bigelow Preserve?

The Maine Land Use Regulation Commission will hold a public hearing on Western Mountains Foundation's application (DP 4764). The purpose of the hearing is to allow the applicant, interested groups, and the general public the opportunity to present testimony and evidence as to whether the applicant's proposal meets the criteria for approval. The hearing will be held on Thursday, August 30, 2007 at Lincoln Auditorium, University of Maine, Farmington.
2:30-5:00 PM - Applicant and Intervenor testimony, cross examination, rebuttal
6:00 PM - Public Testimony

For further information about the Friends of Bigelow meeting, contact Gary Lawless, <mailto:[email protected]>

Bob Weingarten
Consulting for Creative Options
________________________________
29 Davis Road
Vienna, ME 04360
phone: 207-293-3798
fax: 207-293-3732
<mailto:[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
________________________________

 

[Gris]

Kinda gives new meaning to the term "hut..."

 

[Doc McPeak]

Interesting. Is this the same group trying to put in that new trail and hut system from Mahoosuc Notch? I didn't realize they were trying to use taxpayer dollars to build these luxury "huts?"

Anyways, here's a panorama of the lake in question:

 

[alpinista]

If I remember correctly, isn't that a man-made lake _ there used to be a town there and they flooded it out or somesuch? I might be confusing it with some other similar looking place though.

Thanks for the heads up, Arm!

 

[chinooktrail]

I believe you are confusing Flagstaff Laske for Lake Umbagog, which is mostly manmade via the dam. But a wonderful and enjoyable lake none the less!

 

[Grayjay]

Flagstaff Lake is manmade too. The river there before was the route of Arnold.

 

[chinooktrail]

Oh, good to know.

Route of Arnold, interesting name, was this the Route of Benedict Arnold by any chance?

It is a beautiful area that I have enjoyed many times, and should be preserved for all to enjoy in my opinion, alas, I can not make it to the meeting.

Is this the same tract of land that the people who keep asking me to sign petitions in Portland are working on? Friends of the Environment I believe is what they call themselves? Or are they specifically working to preserve Moosehead Lake from further development?

Sounds as though it is the same company working on development for luxury condos and major (expensive) resorts in both areas...

 

[king tut]

If I remember correctly, isn't that a man-made lake _ there used to be a town there and they flooded it out or somesuch? I might be confusing it with some other similar looking place though.

Thanks for the heads up, Arm!

Flagstaff was flooded over in 1949. If I recall correctly, there were several hundred people that lived in the town of Flagstaff that had to be relocated. The houses were never razed, so rumour has it that you can still see the foundations of homes in the lake at times.

 

[Lucky Laura]

Oh, good to know.

Route of Arnold, interesting name, was this the Route of Benedict Arnold by any chance?

Check out Arundel by Kenneth Roberts. One of my top 10 favorite books. It tells the often unheard of side of Benedict Arnold- when he was one of the good guys. The trek up the Kennebec River, across the "heights of land" to Quebec was just an incredible feat by all those early patriots.