GILEAD – Town officials have looked around at neighboring towns and have seen all the building and development going on.
Now, some believe it’s time to update Gilead’s 12-year-old Comprehensive Plan to meet growing development pressure.
Administrative Assistant Beverley Corriveau said Friday afternoon that the Board of Selectmen met Thursday night and scheduled a special town meeting for 7 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Town Hall.
Planning Board Chairman John Pucak said he’s had some discussions with Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments to assist with the update. The planning firm helped the town write its 1993 version of the Comprehensive Plan.
“Gilead has very few ordinances. Before more are passed, we need a Comprehensive Plan,” he said. “We see the building in other towns and Gilead needs to be ready.”
He said the Planning Board acted on two small, and one large subdivision last year. This year has been slow. The town also passed a subdivision ordinance last year.
Although he said he will ask at the special town meeting for funds to help with the revision, he could not say how much that will be.
“The Comprehensive Plan will help guide the town,” he said.
The town warrant will likely be out late next week or early the following week and will provide the amount of money selectmen seek to raise for the update.
Also on Aug. 16, Corriveau said townspeople will decide whether to allow Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground to use a portion of town-owned land bordering the Androscoggin River as a launch for the recreational business’s drift boats.
She said residents turned down a similar request in the past, largely because of potential liability issues.
Jeff Parsons, owner of the Bethel business, said he wants to use the site because of the amount of time it takes to launch a drift boat. The public launch a couple of hundred yards from the town site is used by canoeists and kayakers.
He said at least 15 minutes is needed to launch a drift boat, a craft which guides use to take customers fishing.
“Our boats tie up the launch,” he said.
He said he’d like to see one launch used for canoes and kayaks, and the other for drift boats.
The site is off Bridge Street.
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