CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Voters at Wednesday’s annual town meeting will decide whether to accept a proposed forest management plan affecting about 2,100 acres near the Outdoor Center, Town Manager Dave Cota said Monday.
The town’s need for a plan to manage the lot was discussed in detail at last year’s town meeting. Townspeople decided to ask a committee to design a plan that would allow some cutting of timber while keeping the land’s recreational and ecological character intact, Cota said.
He said he supports the result, which is a plan that would designate nearly 600 acres for recreation and allow the remaining land to be more extensively cut, without undue impact on recreation, aesthetics, fish and wildlife, water quality, protection of species and historic value.
The proposed plan also requires wood be cut in “what is known as a sustainable or renewable cut,” meaning that the amount of timber removed annually wouldn’t the exceed the annual amount of natural growth.
Cota said he expects taxes will not rise much. Overall, if everything passes as currently projected, the tax rate would increase from 6.6 mills to about 6.9 mills, he said. The possible increase is mainly due to higher taxes and greater education costs, he said.
Three people will be competing for two selectmen’s seats, Cota said. Incumbents John Beaupre and Steve Pierce are running for re-election. They’ll be challenged by Joseph Lessard for the two three-year terms.
Voting begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday in the Town Office. Polls close at 6 p.m. The annual town meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Anti-Gravity Center, Cota said.
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