FARMINGTON – Tom and Janice Daku have been trying to sell a parcel of their Knowlton Corner Road farm for more than 10 years. If a shoreland zoning proposal passes, their chances of making a deal for the 70-acre strip along Wilson Stream will greatly increase.
The Dakus have been farming 256 acres on both sides of Knowlton Corner Road for 20 years. Janice Daku said they intend to continue working their 85 dairy cows there.
She said they have debt-service issues that the sale would alleviate.
They tried to find alternatives to selling the land, she added. They applied for a grant with Land for Maine’s Future, but the group’s offer of about $50,000 didn’t come close to meeting their needs.
Despite mixed feelings about the proposal among residents of road, there’s a real sense of neighborliness. Most of the neighbors praised the Dakus. Even Bob Harper, the most vocal opponent to the proposal, said he likes the Dakus.
“Tom and I get along really good,” he said.
But a fondness for the Dakus doesn’t change some neighbors’ opposition to the proposed shopping center that would be built on the land if the sale goes through.
Harper spoke vehemently at a recent selectmen’s meeting against the proposal. His three acres sits adjacent to Wilson Stream. He said he has seen wood ducks, deer and moose by the stream and is concerned about the environmental effects of changing the zoning. He worries about the natural flood plain around the stream that protects his home.
He is also uneasy about increased truck traffic, noise, debris and bright lights – all things he expects to see if the shopping center is built.
“There’s no need for another large, uncaring business in town so close to residential property,” he said.
He also said big business takes advantage of farmers.
“You’re getting ripped off,” he said to the Dakus at the meeting.
Not all the residents along Knowlton Corner Road are opposed to the project, though.
“I love Home Depot,” said Susan Embleton, whose home sits at the intersection of Knowlton Corner and Webster roads. Home Depot is the rumored anchor store for the shopping center.
She and her husband, Merle, both said the shopping center would bring much-needed jobs to the area.
“Anything that will bring jobs to this area,” Merle said, “I’m all for it.”
Merle also cited the tax base that the business would provide to Farmington, and said he had no concerns about the proposal.
“Everybody’s worried about it too much,” he said.
Susan Embleton admitted in a telephone interview that she and her husband had a pending offer to sell their property, although she could not disclose the agreed-upon selling price. The Embletons’ sale agreement is contingent on zoning and planning approvals.
Another neighbor living along the contested strip of land had signed a petition that the Dakus presented at the meeting. He asked not to be identified, saying that he, too, had signed an agreement to sell.
Michele Tyler said she was “very angry” when she first heard about the proposal. She said her husband was born in the house on the north side of Knowlton Corner Road opposite the parcel in question. She raised her children there.
“It’s so sad, there’s so many memories here,” she said. “It’s so sad that change has got to happen while I’m alive. No one wants to see this happen, but life goes on.”
Although she did not sign the petition, she said she will not fight the proposal.
“I understand how Janice feels,” she said. “I’m kind of torn. This is my home but my children live away and I spend a lot of time in Connecticut with them. You gotta pick your battles,” she said, sighing.
Her only worry is that her property value may decline, she said.
A public hearing will be held on the issue at the Oct. 12 selectmen’s meeting.
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