Sears Island uses floated
60 participate in feisty forum
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - Bangor Daily News
by Tom Groening
SEARSPORT - A state-led planning effort and a daylong gathering Tuesday on the use of undeveloped Sears Island produced a steering committee and identified various issues to bring to a future, larger public forum.
Under the direction of Karin Tilberg, deputy state conservation commissioner and professional facilitator Jonathan Reitman, some 60 people gathered at the First Congregational Church to begin a process Tilberg hopes will conclude by the end of the year with a consensus report on what will be done with the 941-acre state-owned property, which is linked to the mainland by a causeway.
At the outset of Tuesday's meeting, Tilberg said the discussion would be "in the tradition of New England town meeting, where people work through issues."
With the attendees including those who fiercely advocate for preserving the entire island in its largely undeveloped state and those who believe it should be set aside for future maritime transportation needs, the meeting did take on the feisty, sometimes confrontational character of a town meeting.
Reitman expressed his hope that the meeting, and others to follow, would work toward finding consensus from those holding one or the other widely divergent viewpoints.
"Are you willing to forward a recommendation that does not have 100 percent support but does have broad support?" he asked.
"It's fine to be skeptical," Reitman added, but that encouragement probably wasn't necessary, as several people openly expressed their distrust of the process and the state's professed commitment to a fair and open discussion.
Larraine Brown of Swanville objected to the existence of a steering committee, formed in January.
"Let's start right from the beginning," she said, advocating for forming a new steering group.
Lorin Hollander of Stockton Springs charged the process was "a stacked deck," and Jim Freeman of Verona Island observed, "There's a perception that Gov. Baldacci's fair and open process isn't fair and open."
Brown and others wanted Reitman to distinguish between those who were paid to attend the meeting and those who took off from work to attend.
Reitman argued that the views of those volunteering to attend shouldn't be considered more valuable than those on the clock, but for the remainder of the five-hour meeting many identified themselves as not being paid to attend.
John Hyk, chairman of the Waldo County commissioners, objected that his group was not included, and he noted that most steering committee members "are not even from this county."
Stockton Springs First Selectman Sara Bradford also objected that her town was not represented, even though any development on Sears Island could affect Stockton Harbor and the homes on Cape Jellison, the nearest residential area to the island.
In the end, Reitman, Tilberg and the group itself agreed to create a new steering committee, or "governing body," which ended up with 30-plus members. The group also agreed to allow others - such as those representing the shipping industry, railroads and academia - to join.
Among the preservationist groups on the steering committee: Protect Sears Island, Friends of Sears Island, Fair Play for Sears Island, Penobscot Bay Alliance, Squawpoint Association, Waldo County Marketing Association, Coastal Mountains Land Trust, the Village of Stockton Harbor, the Maine chapter of the Sierra Club, and several individuals who said they represented local business owners, the creative economy and "regular folks" who use the island.
Those who favor retaining some or all of the island for transportation uses on the steering group now include: former Transportation Commissioner John Melrose of Maine Tomorrow; David Gelinas of the Penobscot Bay & River Pilots Association; and current Transportation Commissioner David Cole.
"I want to see this port stay competitive and stay vital," Gelinas said, implying the island is part of the port of Searsport, a view not shared by all.
Maria Fuentes of the Maine Better Transportation Association, a lobbyist group for the transportation industry, objected to the heavy tilt toward preservationists, but was finally assuaged by assurances that others could join the group.
She and Melrose noted that paper company employees, longshoremen and businesses in Aroostook and Piscataquis counties relying on the port were not represented at the meeting, and cautioned against deferring too heavily toward local views.
Sen. Dennis Damon, a Trenton Democrat who chairs the Legislature's Transportation Committee, echoed that view, noting that 1.3 million residents of Maine own the island and have an interest in its future.
Among the issues identified for further discussion were: defining the port of Searsport-port expansion; the shared use concept; the island as an asset in the national-international economy; the Department of Transportation's assertion that it has reserved 280 acres of the island; and land management strategies.
An all-day meeting at which public views will be sought is being planned for late June. For information about meetings, see the state Department of Conservation's Web site.
