NORWAY – The Growth Council of Oxford Hills held an informational meeting Tuesday night as part of the site review process for the proposed Western Maine Office Technology Park.
Required by the Department of Environmental Protection, it addressed issues such as drainage and shoreland protection.
The proposed park has been in the works for four years.
Six towns have cooperated with Western Maine Development, the nonprofit real estate affiliate of the growth council, committing more than $1 million toward the $3.6 million project.
Otisfield has been the largest contributor to the project, with a commitment of $800,000. Norway, Oxford, Paris, Waterford and Harrison also support the park.
Additional funding for the project came from a $1.9 million federal grant announced in March.
The park is planned for a 161-acre parcel on Roberts Road, off Route 117 in Norway. Overlooking Lake Pennesseewassee, the plan is to subdivide the land into four 4-acre lots and six 8-acre lots, surrounded by 80 acres of wooded conservation land.
Brett Doney, president and CEO of Western Maine Development, as well as of the growth council, has said that he hopes the park will attract 500 office and technology jobs to the area.
The target wage for those jobs is $14 per hour, plus benefits.
The subdivision plan for the park has been approved by the Norway Planning Board, but Western Maine Development is still working with the DEP and the Economic Development Administration for final approval of the park, said Vice President Marcy Boughter.
Last week, Boughter went before the Planning Board to request a change to the subdivision plan from town water to a private water source.
Boughter and other members of Western Maine Development hope that work on the park will begin in spring.
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