JAY — The Planning Board is expected to decide Tuesday whether Parker Pond, also known as Parkhurst Pond, will stay in the category of resource protection or be considered limited residential in an updated draft Shoreland Zoning Ordinance.
The pond, in the East Jay area, is an alternative drinking water source to Moose Hill Pond in Livermore Falls for the Livermore Falls Water District and at times, depending on conditions, is the primary source. Parker Pond water can be pumped directly to the district’s filtration plant or pumped directly into Moose Hill Pond.
The Livermore Falls district serves customers in Jay and Livermore Falls, and supplies water to the Jay Village Water District.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. March 20 at the Town Office.
The board is in the midst of updating the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance that will go before voters in June.
Ronda Palmer, Jay code enforcement officer, said that the pond has been mapped in resource protection but it does not meet the criteria in the ordinance as it is written.
A property owner had written an email to Palmer wanting to know why his property was in the category of resource protection and not in limited residential. The owner would like the zoning to be changed to limited residential, Palmer said.
After speaking to representatives of the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments and Maine Department of Environmental Protection, she said, it appears the area has always been mapped in resource protection, but the criteria in the ordinance does not support it.
The state has additional language in the state’s model Shoreland Zoning Ordinance that would have to be added to Jay’s ordinance to clarify the area and why it should be in resource protection.
According to information in Jay’s Comprehensive Plan, Parker Pond has a surface area of 103 acres and a maximum depth of 26 feet.
Parker Pond is listed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as a lake at risk from new development because it is a public water source, according to the plan.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.