FRYEBURG – It’s a relatively quiet stretch of Route 302 at the east end of town where a series of bright yellow signs stapled to trees announce, “No More Water Trucks!!!” and, “Poland Spring No.”
Such sentiments were strongly reiterated at a Planning Board meeting Tuesday night as representatives of Nestle Waters North America and subsidiary Poland Spring presented plans for a trucking facility that would be built near Hemlock Ridge Road.
Residents who live on Route 302 and nearby towns packed the Fryeburg Rescue Barn to speak out against the facility, which would be used to fill as many as 50 trucks with water daily. Noise levels and traffic were the primary points of concern, while an attorney representing a new group called Western Maine Residents for Rural Living also said he didn’t believe the trucking site was compatible with the town’s rural zoning in the area.
“You’re talking about 33 trucks (making trips) while these people are trying to sleep in their residential area,” said attorney Philip Merrill of Appleton. It was noted that the facility would be open to trucks 24 hours a day.
When asked whether Poland Spring would be willing to limit its trucking to daylight hours, Nestle Waters’ Northeast Natural Resource Manager Tom Brennan said his company wants to be a good neighbor, but “the bottom line here is we’re operating a business and those kinds of restrictions are very difficult to deal with.”
Brennan and John Edgerton, an engineer with Wright-Pierce of Topsham, explained that the trucking facility would draw water from a pipe connected to an aquifer next door in Denmark. The Route 302 site was chosen to load trucks because it is more accessible than the rural roads near the water supply.
As many as 105 million gallons of water would be drawn through the two-mile pipeline each year.
The Maine Department of Transportation already has approved the facility entrance, according to Planning Board member Carmen Doughty. On Tuesday, Brennan said his company is in the process of seeking permits to draw the water from Denmark.
Brennan said Nestle Waters would be making an investment of $2 million to $3 million, the facility alone costing an estimated $2.1 million. About 4 acres of the 65-acre site would be cleared.
While he estimated the station would create $40,000 in local tax revenue, many in the audience snickered.
Ken Wible of Brownfield, who said he already is plagued by Poland Spring trucks that speed past his house today, was not impressed. “So from this, Fryeburg is going to get $40,000, a donation to the Boy Scouts, and a couple of jobs 50 miles away?” he asked.
Planning Board Chairman Ted Raymond said a formal public hearing will be held before any decision on permits is made. The board’s next regular meeting is Sept. 27.
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