Land trust is trying to keep the mountain open for public use.
RUMFORD – A move to try to preserve Whitecap Mountain for continued public use will be launched at the Rumford selectmen’s meeting on Thursday.
Marcel Polak, a member of the Mahoosuc Land Trust based in Bethel, will make a presentation on the 2,200-foot mountain, during the meeting that starts at 7 p.m.
The mountain has been used by local residents for generations for hiking, blueberrying, skiing and nature watching.
Polak said the long-assumed public access may be in jeopardy because of the recent sell-off of thousands of acres in the state by MeadWestvaco.
The effort seeks to preserve about 833 acres, assessed at approximately $119,000 and taxed for the current year at about $2,100, according to a spokeswoman in the Rumford tax collector’s office. Because much of the acreage is tree growth, the assessed value is lower than it could be, according to the spokeswoman.
Polak also said assessed value bears little relation to market value.
Bayroot LLC is the owner of the land, and Wagner Forest Management LTD of Lyme, N.H., manages it. The only address listed for Bayroot is also in Lyme, N.H.
Thursday’s presentation is a first step in preserving the mountain, said Polak.
The Mahoosuc Land Trust and the recently formed Rumford Whitecap Committee want to gather support from the town and residents for the mountain’s preservation. The long-term plan is to use funds from the state’s Lands for Maine’s Future program which, if approved in a bond issue, could provide two-thirds of the cost of the land. The remaining one-third must be raised locally.
Polak said the committee was formed last year to determine a strategy for how to buy it. He could not give an estimated price for the acreage, but did say that similar lands around the state were sold off for about $700 to $800 per acre.
The 833 acres are targeted as the first step in the acquisition process of Whitecap. Future acquisitions could be pursued for additional rights of way and trails. But first, said Polak, the core 833 acres must be acquired.
Support by town officials and the community must be shown in order for Mahoosuc Land Trust to have a better chance at successfully getting LFMF funding, he said.
He will ask for a letter of support from selectmen. If community support comes through, he will ask the town next year for a donation toward the local match, he said.
Town Manager Steve Eldridge has voiced support for the effort.
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