Acme Engineering representative Scott Hall presented a complete application for a subdivision on Porter Lake to the Planning Board on Tuesday evening. The application calls for a 10-lot development on the New Vineyard-Strong side of the lake. Board member Wayne Drake calls the application a “jumping off point” for a subject that potentially could be volatile, especially for property owners on the lake.

On June 27, Planning Board members will walk the site and discuss the application. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. Drake urges community members to participate.

Philips: New town manager getting acclimated

Karen Olivieri of Rangeley assumed the position of Philips town manager on May 31. Olivieri has 10 years of municipal service experience, six in Rangeley as an administrative assistant and four in Medway as an administrative assistant to selectmen.

Her predecessor, Laura Toothaker, was town manager for 34 years before resigning in April. “I hope that someday I’ll be able to have half the knowledge she has of the town,” Olivieri said.

For the past few weeks, Olivieri has devoted her time to getting the town office, which has been relatively inactive since April, back into the full service. Maintaining day-to-day management and bringing the office up to speed have been full-time jobs for Olivieri and Clerk Evelyn Wilbur.

“I really haven’t had the pleasure of delving into new things yet,” Olivieri said. However, she said she is glad she has a chance to organize the office to her liking.

In the future, Olivieri plans to revitalize Main Street and support economic development in town. She said townspeople “have been wonderful.”

Rangeley: Camp Rangeley application presented

An application for the prospective Camp Rangeley was presented to the town Planning Board on Wednesday evening. The camp would operate for eight weeks in the summer and accommodate up to 400 campers and 200 staff and counselors.

The camp would be built on 41 acres of Mary and Hermie Glick’s 372 acres off Dodge Road. Although the camp’s Web site, www.camprangeley.com, proposes to have minimal impact on its site on Round Pond and to boost revenue for the town, community members are not convinced.

A petition to rezone Round Pond and restrict it from commercial, agricultural or industrial use was drafted but rejected in a tie vote by the town May 11. Although the initiative failed, town officials are still skeptical as to the impact the camp would potentially have on Round Pond, which the Maine Department of Environmental Protection cites on its list of lakes most at risk from development. Furthermore, there is concern about the impact the camp would have on Rangeley’s public facilities, including its roads, transfer station, police and fire and rescue.

The new application will be reviewed by the Planning Board at 6:30 p.m. June 27.

– David Farady