CARTHAGE — Selectmen are taking a wait-and-see attitude on a 320-acre parcel believed to be town-owned while they wait for a legal decision on the land's ownership.
At issue are the so-called town lots adjacent to the site of a proposed wind-turbine project along Saddleback Mountain ridge.
Someone claiming to be an heir of Benjamin Weld, who is the last known owner of the lots, stepped forward a couple of weeks ago, First Selectman Steve Brown said.
He said a judge had extended a July 31 deadline for action on whether the land is owned by the town or someone else. Brown said he and the board received a series of documents relative to the case but have not had time to review them or refer them to the town's lawyer in this case, Jennifer Kreckel.
Ownership of the land is important because the developer of the proposed wind project, Patriot Renewables LLC of Quincy, Mass., wants to extend its original turbine proposal on adjacent private land to include the town parcel.
Brown said he should have a clearer understanding of the implications of the legal documents within a week or two.
In other matters, the town will seek bids for the plowing of town-maintained roads, he said. The plowing company that takes care of the roads in Carthage proper has indicated that it is no longer interested. The man who has cared for the town-owned roads in south Carthage died unexpectedly.
Brown said bids would go out within a few days, with proposals due by Aug. 30.
Selectmen have scheduled three meetings in August because the first Monday in September falls on Labor Day. The next two Board of Selectmen meetings will take place on Aug. 16 and Aug. 30.
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Cathage and the Wind
It breaks my heart to see small towns divided by Big Money. Because property tax-payers are struggling, any promised 'relief' sounds too good to be true. That's because it is.
Carthage residents are at a disadvantage. They are without a comprehensive plan or the ordinances designed to protect its citizens from questionable development, or from unscrupulous developers.
I attended the most recent meeting that Carthage held with Patriot Renewables, and I was amazed to see how many questions the industrial wind company dodged. They constantly used excuses like "That's privileged infomation" or--even more ridiculous-- they'd not give ANY answer to the hard questions. They'd simply frown, turn away, and say "Next question!"
If I was a resident of Carthage, I would want solid answers. I would REQUIRE them. And if I was a developer who truly BELIEVED the bill of goods I was selling, I would proudly shout out the answers to the folks I was attempting to make a sale to. Carthage residents believe industrial wind will be a boon to them. But Carthage residents should ask their neighbors (in towns which are already experiencing the results of IW's false promises) exactly what might be in store for them. Have all the promises made to THEM come true? And what negative impacts resulted from IW's intrusion into their peaceful villages? I hope they will not let the promise of instant and short-term cash convince them that any development is good, especially when it has been proven to be a misguided and expensive proposal. Industrial wind is not a panacea. It is a scam to put government subsidies (tax-payer dollars-- yours and mine) in the pockets of a few IW developers . The benefits to Carthage are but a drop in the bucket, and the bucket has a hole.
Please look out for your neighbors. Please do not let promises of economic development, road contracts and cheap taxes keep you from demanding the answers to hard questions. Our citizens-- our neighbors-- are natural resources, too. Let's be good stewards and take care of each other.
Respectfully submitted, Karen Pease, Lexington Twp., ME (for answers to questions and to find great resources, please check out www.highlandmts.org)
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Really? Seems the town has had nearly a decade (the town voted to put that land into conservation but never did the due diligence and now come to find out the town has no idea who owns it) to figure this one out. This work should have been done a long time ago. Saddleback Mountain, the land in question, is a unique and beautiful place that can be seen from miles around. Now the small, greedy majority (though a shrinking one), without care for those who will be most effected, are wringing their hands over this heir, anxious to see clear cutting and blasting started for 40 story tall industrial turbines. Carthage is now a town fiercely divided. I can only imagine the laughter in the wind company board rooms as they count their dollars in subsidies, knowing they've duped another poor town without a comprehensive plan.
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