By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — The number of people involved in the Casco Open Space Commission doubled.

For more than half of 2022, there were not enough people on the commission for a quorum. Late last summer, two residents from Webbs Mills joined the group. It is still one person shy of the five allowed on the commission.

However, it is not the number of people as much as the level of enthusiasm that makes the difference, according to Eric Dibner, who started with the OSC when it was first formed in 2009.

“What we really have is some enthusiasm. Things are turning around. New members are very enthusiastic and have taken on a tremendous amount of issues,” Dibner said.

Also, the goal of protecting and increasing open space as well as access points to open space is once again at the forefront, especially as the town’s proposed comprehensive plan takes shape.

The commission is scheduled to meet again on Monday, starting at 6 p.m. in the Casco Community Center. Then, on Tuesday, the group will present its priority plans to the Casco Board of Selectmen.

“We have to get the select board enthusiastic. They are waiting for us to say, ‘This is what needs to be done.’ We have to come up with solid plans. Our plans need to make them enthusiastic,” Dibner said.

One of the topic for Tuesday’s meeting is the Open Space Ordinance, he said.

“We will define specific priority projects. Those are going to be Berry Park, Four Corners, and Webbs Mills. We don’t have to do much with Webbs Mills now. It’s natural,” he said.

“We met with the comp plan folks about two weeks ago. We had a lot of discussion about the Four Corners. Our opinion is we want to ensure that is more of an open public space. We want it to be a welcoming presence in the community,” Dibner said.

“The comp plan and the town’s open space commission should be on the same wave length,” he said.

One more person makes 5

Dibner isn’t worried about bringing the roll call to five people. After all, having a quorum (three people) was the original goal and that has been accomplished.

“As long as we can keep doing business, one more person isn’t as big an issue. We have a couple people who are interested and are coming to meetings. We are building our base. It doesn’t just happen by snapping your fingers,” Dibner said.

The two people who joined the OSC are Sam Brown and Jeffrey Raymond.

Raymond, who has lived in Webbs Mills since 2009, ended up as the chairman.

“Remote work has facilitated my having more time because I am not commuting. It helped enable me to get more involved. It started with the special vote for the property that was sold that was intended initially years ago to be part of the [Webbs Mills] Park. Our community rallied together to go to [special] town meeting,” Raymond said. “It was around that time that I said, ‘Maybe, I should get involved in the community a little bit more.’”

“I am an avid outdoors person. I value the trail networks in the greater Southern Portland area,” he explained. “I’ve seen how the Town of Gorham — how they have a done an amazing job getting the community involved and driving trails development in Gorham. The same in Falmouth, Windham, Auburn. Why don’t we have that in our community?”

“I am at the point in my life, I’d like to help to carve that out in our community,” Raymond said.

“I am really passionate about results and trying to focus our energies on visible results for the community,” he said.“A lot of the ideas that we are resurrecting have been in the comp plan, and in the previous work of the open space. Until you build momentum and transfer that into activity, it is still ideas not results.”

Raymond and Brown are neighbors in Webbs Mills Village. Brown, who moved to the area in the 1990s, has served on the budget committee. 

Brown encouraged citizens to get involved in these open-space decisions. Volunteering on a committee can be both engaging and enlightening, he said.

“Now is the time that we cannot afford to be apathetic. We cannot afford to think things are going to work out. We have a very tight window to shape the future. The more we can talk to our community, and get the word out, the better chance we have to create a community that we want to stay in, and have our families stay in in the future,” Brown said. 

“The open space commission is completely intertwined with the development of the comp plan and the resiliency grants that we are applying for. These issues all come together very quickly,” Brown said, referring again to the window of opportunity.

Brown believes the more people at the table, the better.

“The by-laws direct the commission should have five people. My challenge to anyone reading the paper, We need people who are basically voting age and above to come down and participate. There are so many older people involved in these roles. We need to hear from young parents and families who are raising their kids what kind of place they want Casco to be in the future,” he said.

Public access to Maine waterways

Raymond said he believes that wild, open space is important.

“Land doesn’t need to be developed to add value. Preserving natural resources and the health of the ecosystem is something that we are working into our plans and ideas,” he said. “That fits nicely with the comp plan. I’ve heard the theme. There is a theme about water quality and preservation of the natural resources we have,” he said. 

Brown addressed the continued preservation of the Berry property, which was purchased in 2016 and has about 100 feet of water frontage on Parker Pond.

When he was in high school, a Harrison selectman told him that anytime a lakes municipality has the chance to buy waterfront land and/or preserve access to the water, it should pursue that opportunity. That idea stuck.

Unfortunately, there is only one boat access and a small public beach for Pleasant Lake and for Crescent Pond. Parker Pond has a space to put in a boat that’s accessible from Lord Road.

“We need to protect and provide as many of those accesses as we can. The fact of the matter is the people who are moving here have lots of money and can buy whatever we have. Our beautiful lakes region is being developed. If we don’t have a clear picture of how to develop it, we are going to lose access to the waterways. People are going to buy the land and put up fences and say, ‘You can’t walk here anymore. Or you can’t put in your canoe or kayak on this stream because I own it,’” Brown said.