PARIS – After clarifying a single concern, the town’s comprehensive plan has been approved by the state.

Frank Hample of the State Planning Office sent a letter to the town, dated Nov. 27, informing Town Manager Sharon Jackson that the plan was consistent with the goals and guidelines of the state Growth Management Act.

The state informed the town in October that it was withholding approval of the plan because it did not address the water and sewer systems in the area expected to experience the most growth over the next decade.

The plan was approved after it was further reviewed by Hample, Jackson, comprehensive plan committee Chairman Raymond Glover, and John Maloney of the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, who was hired to help write the plan.

“Nothing was changed,” Jackson said. “Everything that was required was there.”

Maloney wrote a letter to Hample in October, enclosing maps showing the extent of the town’s water and sewer line. Maloney said the town’s subdivision plan requires that subdivisions be connected to existing water or sewer lines if they are close enough to the system.

In November, Jackson wrote to Hample, reiterating some of Maloney’s arguments and saying that the water and sewer systems of the town are capable of handling daily use and treatment.

The comprehensive plan was approved by townspeople in June by a 540-420 vote.

Copy the Story Link