By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Slightly more voters showed up at the Casco Special Town Meeting last week than turned out for the annual town meeting in June.

A total of 75 residents registered to vote last Tuesday, compared to 71 earlier this summer. 

During the last 10 minutes before the meeting started, all the seats were filled and people were being handed folded chairs as they got into the line to register to vote. The crowd appeared to be larger than this summer. For comparison’s sake, the June town meeting was held in the gymnasium of the Crooked River Elementary School, which spread people out more, while the special town meeting took place in one of the rooms at the Casco Community Center.   

Several people commented on how exciting it was to see such a big turnout and to see so many residents involved in the democratic process. 

“You people tonight outnumber the town meeting,” Chairman Robert MacDonald said before the meeting was adjourned.

“The more, the merrier,” Selectman Scott Avery said, adding that he wished all meetings were better attended.

On Sept. 27, citizens voted to allocate money to purchase two pieces of land that abut Webbs Mills Park and to finish upgrades at Pleasant Lake Town Beach.

Residents overwhelmingly supported using $20,000 to purchase a non-buildable lot on the edge of Webbs Mills Park. In fact, only about three people voted against that warrant article. The vast majority of voters backed a $100,000 expense to purchase a second lot in Webbs Mill Village, and to cover the cost of removing the burned structure on the land. Also, voters approved using $25,000 to complete upgrades at the beach and boat ramp that is situated in the Casco Village. 

The appropriation of funding for these three projects will not impact the tax rate since money from an existing account will be used, according to Casco Town Manager Tony Ward. 

“This won’t affect taxes. We are using the Unassigned Fund, which the state calls a ‘rainy day fund,’ ” Ward said. 

During the discussion on each warrant article, some background information was provided to help voters. For example, when asked by a resident to be careful about upgrades near Pleasant Lake since some people draw their drinking water from the lake, Selectman Grant Plummer addressed the project. 

“This has been a multi-year project to get through the DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] process,” he said. “The people who know the Casco town beach know it is very sloped. The town has made a couple attempts, with the state’s guidance, to retain the beach right by the water’s edge. The second one that was installed has failed. Eventually, [the contractor will] take out the slope and eliminate it. Instead of a slope that is quite steep,” the incline will be softened.

Inside the fence, a retaining wall will erected and the wooden board at the water’s edge will be removed. The beach will be ADA accessible, he said. 

“It is a great project for the Town of Casco. The three years trying to put out the bid, the numbers we put on it three years ago just don’t work in today’s market,” Plummer said. 

Warrant Article 3 was the purchase of .33 acres. 

Resident Eric Dibner spoke on the behalf of the Open Space Commission.

“The park is going to be beneficial for the Town of Casco. It provides open space, wildlife habitat, and offers recreational opportunities,” he said. “Some planning is necessary. We are looking to support the town’s vision for conservation. That includes making a plan for what the objectives of the land are.”

Another resident spoke against the purchase because she believes in keeping land in private hands.

“When we have open space, we have less land to tax. We have less land for people to build their homes on. Open space is something that needs to be more controlled,” she said. 

Having too much land in conservation means less tax revenue, and causes towns to rely on the state for financial help, she said. 

During the discussion about Warrant Article 4, which was the purchase of land with burned home on it, there were quite a few questions.

Kevin Gillespie asked why the owner did not get rid of the burned building before selling it to the town. He also asked if the land had been appraised. 

A woman asked how the town could know how much the demolition would cost without putting it out to bid first. 

It was a Catch-22: if the town took more time to present more facts to the resident, another buyer might step in and purchase the lots. 

“Residents here spoke about doing it [buying the for sale lots] as soon as possible. Taking longer than that means the house could be sold and the town would lose the opportunity,” Town Manager Ward said. 

Essentially, a home with the same footprint could be built there if the town did not purchase the land. 

Again, Plummer explained the history of the homes built close to Route 11 in Webbs Mill Village.

“They all fall in to RP [Resource Protection] Zone, doesn’t allow you to do much. If a tree falls, the CEO might let you clean it up but maybe not. RP is very strict,” he said.

He explained the current landowner isn’t the same person who had the home fire. That person sold it, and the new owner has building permit to replace the structure. 

“As crazy as it seems, a home could be built where the home is, about 10 feet from the road,” Plummer said. 

Voting residents supported the town owning the land.

The special town meeting was wrapped up in less than an hour. The selectmen spoke before adjourning. 

“You people tonight outnumber the town meeting,” according to Chairman Robert MacDonald.

Selectman Eugene Connolly commented on the democratic process. 

“The townspeople came to us because they saw a vision. We heard it and we are acting on it,” Connolly said. “Thank you very much for speaking up.”

His words were received with a round of applause from residents.