WOODSTOCK — Residents will vote at the annual town meeting on March 28 whether to approve a proposed boat landing on North Pond following months of discussion.
The article asks residents if they wish to purchase property on North Pond for $70,000 and develop it as a boat launch and landing site.
Town Manager Vern Maxfield said that selectmen have also engaged with Main-Land Development to design the project, and apply for any state required permits.
“We anticipate the total cost of the project to be approximately $90,000,” Maxfield added.
He said that $50,000 of the money the town received from Patriot Renewables for conservation purposes would be used, along with $20,000 from the Woodstock Planning Board’s in-lieu fund, and $20,000 raised from taxes, unless other sources of funding can be found.
In a prepared statement for voters, Maxfield explained that the need for a boat launch has been a topic of conversation now for several years.
“As it is now, there is no proper boat launch access to North Pond,” Maxfield said. “For years, boats have been launched into North Pond via an unsafe opening directly off Route 26 into the pond. Access was available off Gore Road, near Bird Hill Road, for years, until it was discovered that the area that had been commonly used to launch boats was private property.”
Due to the town losing its access to North Pond, Maxfield said that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wouldn’t stock the pond with fish.
Maxfield, along with Greenwood Town Manager Kim Sparks, reached out to the Bureau of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to see if there was any grant money or financial assistance available to purchase and develop property for a new public boat launch.
In early 2015, the Board of Selectmen learned that property adjacent to the old boat launch site had been purchased, with the homeowner stating his goal was to preserve the property for a future boat launch.
“A series of talks led to a purchase and sale agreement between Mr. Richard Gordet and the town of Woodstock,” Maxfield said. “Marcel Polak, in his role as property broker, handled the transaction for the town in a very professional manner.”
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