York Independent 

Waiting for answers: “Think Again” to host public awareness rally April 20

By Jennifer L. Saunders

April 18, 2008

YORK - The Maine Turnpike Authority's motto may be "Thinking Ahead," but local residents who are concerned about its plan to relocate the York Toll Plaza in one of four areas that would result in the loss of homes and land are asking the authority instead to "Think Again."

In fact, "Think Again" is the name adopted by a grassroots citizens' organization that has come into being in response to the MTA's announcement that it is considering four sites in York and Cape Neddick for the new plaza.

Think Again will be holding a public awareness rally this Sunday, April 20, to follow-up on the April 3 meeting that packed the York Middle School gymnasium with more than 500 local residents seeking answers from MTA officials on their toll plaza plan.

The rally will begin at the Eldredge Lumber and Hardware parking lot, located at 627 Route 1, at 1 p.m., and will disperse throughout York from that location.

Organizers of the effort are stressing that maximum participation by local residents is needed in order to avert what Think Again has described as "a costly error that will adversely impact the entire community."

As of Monday evening, April 14, Town Manager Rob Yandow had just received a response from the Maine Turnpike Authority on its plans for the weeks ahead after the lengthy April 3 meeting where residents who could lose their homes and lands, local officials and others from across the community stood together to demand answers on the plan.

Yandow told the Board of Selectmen that his point of contact at the MTA confirmed shortly before the board's 7 p.m. meeting that a timeline for gathering input and taking action has been set forward by the authority.

Between now and April 24, Yandow said, the MTA recommends the creation of a 10 to 20-member citizens' group to improve communication between the town and the authority.

The next step would be for the MTA to provide answers, in writing, to questions brought up at the April 3 meeting, during the week of May 5, followed by a meeting with MTA representatives and the newly created citizens' group during the week of May 12.

The timeline continues with reports in June and July, additional public meetings and a submission of the site deemed the "Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative" to the Army Corps of Engineers during the week of Aug. 8.

With that provision included in the timeline - mirroring the same basic schedule the MTA had announced earlier in the process - Selectman Dwight Bardwell questioned how much of a voice the public will really have in this decision.

His immediate reaction, he told his fellow board members, is that the MTA's attitude is, "We're just going to go through the motions because you guys are yelling a lot, but in the end we already know what we're going to do."

Local resident Marshall Jarvis, one of the many citizens working together in the hope of having the MTA choose another option that does not impact residents' homes or lands, reiterated a sentiment that members of Think Again shared at the April 3 meeting and prior to it: that this issue is a town of York issue, and not a situation restricted to the property owners who are facing the potential loss of their homes and land. He urged the selectmen and local legislators to remain a part of the process.

Jarvis told the selectmen, "They (the MTA) have adequate capacity for the next 15 to 20 years... They're going to spend $39 million now and that technology will change. ... I question the need for this."

Jarvis said the town's goal should be to shed light on the MTA process to be sure the public sees what is happening. He advised the selectmen to deal directly with the MTA Board of Directors and not its staff.

Former Selectman Torbert Macdonald also attended the April 14 meeting, and asked the board to put forward a nonbinding referendum question to allow the voters to demonstrate their view on the issue, which the board ultimately decided to do before the meeting ended.

The selectmen noted that they, too, had been at the April 3 meeting where emotions ran high as local resident Randy Small asked all those who stand to lose their homes or property to a toll plaza site to step forward. In the packed gymnasium, individuals and families with children as young as infants made their way to the front of the room to stand before the MTA representatives.

"We are people, and we're not a mile number," Small said. "Please, we're asking you... you can find other spots... You can find a site that makes it work. You are your own bosses... All we're asking you here is to do the right thing."

Questions at the April 3 meeting included how certain sites could be ruled out as less environmentally damaging than four properties within the York Water District's water supply and the Cape Neddick River watershed. Some asked why the MTA could not advocate for rebuilding the toll plaza at its current site as any wetlands there have already been damaged or lost their significant value due to the existing plaza. Still others advocated removing the plaza completely and instead charging tolls at the exits only.

Dan Paradee, spokesman for the MTA, fielded the bulk of the questions and comments following a presentation by the MTA on its site selection process. Paradee told the dozens who spoke that the MTA would review the requests and prepare answers to the questions.

Local resident Kathleen Loane, who is one of the many residents who could be forced to sell their homes or property or lose them to eminent domain, asked the MTA representatives why none of them had visited the neighborhoods that will be impacted by their decision.

"One of our sites is going to be picked," Loane said of the unified front these neighbors - and former strangers - have presented to fight the plan.

She went on to describe the generations-old farm of Connie and Marilyn Small and the other residences at risk.

"You aren't going to put a tollbooth in this town until you come to my neighborhood and meet us... One home taken, one resident displaced, one neighborhood destroyed is one too many for the town of York."

Meanwhile, local legislators have said they will continue to work on behalf of their constituents.

"As I see it, our job as elected representatives is to use our clout, leverage, contacts, governmental experience... to move forward the position(s) of our constituents on this critical and highly controversial topic; e.g., stop or delay the project, develop alternative solutions," said Sen. Peter Bowman, D-Kittery. "To date, we have done this by actions including helping to arrange meetings such as the MTA's briefing for legislators, the recent public hearing at York Middle School and writing strongly-worded letters to the MTA, MTA Board and the Transportation Committee."

In recent testimony before the Transportation Committee, Rep. Windol Weaver, R-York, noted his many concerns, stating, "the MTA wants to make this decision in three months when lawmakers are out of session, thus robbing us of any way to respond from Augusta. I thank you for listening to this appeal and hope you can help us apply pressure on the MTA to treat human habitat the same way we treat the habitat of our furry, scaly, shelled and slimy friends."

Bowman said that he hopes to discuss the best future course of action with Weaver and Rep. Dawn Hill, D-York, who has also spoken out against the MTA plan, as well as members of Think Again.

"I believe that the citizens of York have definitely gotten the attention of the MTA," Bowman said. "We - the citizens of York - need to rapidly define our local goals, strategy and tactics in order to continue the pressure on the MTA. This will allow us to prevail."

Responding to a request for comment last week on the issue, Gov. John Baldacci said he, too, has heard the voice of York's people.

Baldacci stated that he understands from the MTA that the new plaza is needed to "ensure the flow of people and goods" that are critical to the state's economy.

He said he is also aware of the concerns of York's residents and urged them to remain a part of the public process, noting that the Department of Environmental Protection will also become involved in the review process as the proposal moves forward.

"I would also encourage the Maine Turnpike to listen to the communities that would be impacted by their decisions," Baldacci said. "The MTA needs to take into consideration not only the best place to put a toll plaza, but also any unintended consequences of the decision."

During the April 14 selectmen's meeting, the board voted unanimously to support a resolution presented by Jarvis to be sent to Augusta questioning the size and scope of the project and the destruction of homes and land and stating, "We feel the administration of the Maine Turnpike Authority has not been honest with us."

He noted that at the April 3 meeting, "it was obvious we were being presented with a done deal" with only the final site left as a mystery.

"I move that we strongly endorse this resolution," Bardwell said, adding he would be willing to make it even stronger but stating, "I take the advice of Neil Rolde who has fought this fight before... I would certainly support what he writes."

Rolde, a former state legislators, is assisting the Think Again effort.

Bardwell's motion was seconded immediately by Selectwoman Kinley Gregg and Selectman Ted Little indicated that he, too, felt the board could not endorse it strongly enough.

The board's unanimous support for the resolution was followed with applause.

Small then addressed the selectmen on the difference between the MTA and the community of York.

"Yes, they have blatantly lied if you want to put it in simple terms. ... We have facts and the truth," he said, adding that all the residents facing the loss of homes and land have been moved by the outpouring of support from the town as a whole. "Talk about a community and living in York, we've never been so proud."

Wednesday 4/30/08
Page B1
Officials from York, turnpike share views on new toll plaza
An authority spokesman stresses that all options for the plaza location are being considered.

By NOEL K. GALLAGHER, Staff Writer April 30, 2008

York selectmen and Maine Turnpike Authority officials met Tuesday to discuss growing concerns about a proposal to move and expand the York toll plaza.
It was the first meeting between selectmen and the turnpike board of directors on the proposal, which has sparked opposition from neighbors concerned about their homes being taken away or an increase in noise or exhaust fumes from having a new plaza nearby.
The turnpike authority wants to replace the 39-year-old toll plaza just north of Exit 7 with a modern, $35 million facility that is more motorist-friendly and can accommodate new technology. Each of four proposed sites -- at mile markers 8.7, 9.9, 11.3 and 13.2 -- would require the removal of at least one York resident's home.
On Tuesday, turnpike spokesman Dan Paradee emphasized that the authority is considering all options, including keeping the toll plaza at its current location.
"What has been taking place here is a study," Paradee said. "When the board gets the study, they are going to go back to square one and they will have the option of doing nothing, the option of trying to address deficiencies that we've identified in the current location or, if that cannot be done, they will consider another location."

Paradee said it was important for selectmen and the authority to share their perspectives.
The authority has held two public hearings, and said Tuesday it would hold a third in July.
York selectmen recently unanimously passed a measure opposing a new toll plaza at one of the four proposed sites in York. The town also has scheduled a non-binding referendum on the toll plaza issue for May 17.
Selectmen Chairman Mike Estes estimated that about 25 people attended Tuesday's meeting. Three members of the grass-roots group Think Again addressed the turnpike board, said York Town Manager Robert Yandow. The group opposes relocation of the plaza.
Joan Jarvis, a member of Think Again and a York resident of 35 years, said Tuesday's meeting was the first time they were able to make their case directly to members of the turnpike board.
"These are the people that make the decision," Jarvis said. "They are the only people that can re-evaluate this process and say maybe we need to step back."
Estes said York is forming a committee of eight to 12 people to work with the turnpike authority. In turn, the authority is working on a written response to neighbors' concerns and hopes to have that document complete by mid-May, Paradee said.
Staff Writer Noel K. Gallagher can be contacted at 282-8226 or at:

ngallagher@pressherald.com

 

Portsmouth Herald

Page A1
4/30/08

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080430/NEWS/804300381/-1/NEWS09&sfad=1

MTA vows to listen to York toll foes 'Look at us as humans,' town urges
By Deborah McDermott
dmcdermott@seacoastonline.com
April 30, 2008 6:00 AM
PORTLAND, Maine — Members of the Maine Turnpike Authority board of directors made it clear to the York Board of Selectmen and an overflow crowd of Think Again members on Tuesday that they are open to considering all information as they determine the best solution for a future turnpike toll plaza.
Several board members were conciliatory in their language to selectmen, saying they will take into consideration the concerns of town officials and York residents, whose homes have been threatened by the plan to build a new 22-lane plaza on Interstate 95.
"All of us here are laymen, like you people," said Gerard Conley, chairman of the board. "We listen to the pros and the cons, and weigh what's presented to us."
Others concurred.
"This is a process for me," said Gregory Nadeau, deputy commissioner of the MTA and an ex-officio member of the board. "We have not made any decisions. I'm expecting to weigh not only reports generated from the staff, but from public discussions like this."
The comments were made following a number of public statements from selected members of Think Again, who selectmen chose to represent them. One was Marshall Jarvis of York Harbor, who made a PowerPoint presentation arguing for keeping the York toll plaza where it is.
The MTA is considering four sites in York, each of which would involve procuring private land.
Jarvis said the MTA could make several modifications to the road leading up to the toll, place better signage, move E-ZPass lanes and keep the toll plaza put until such time as a cashless system is technologically feasible.
Also speaking were Joan Jarvis and Chases Pond Road resident Randy Small, whose home would be taken if one of the four sites were chosen.
"You have an option," Small told the directors. "Look at us as humans. Don't look at us as frigging points on a map. Our kids are petrified. We're petrified. This town is going nuts."
Not all the directors were conciliatory, however. Douglas Volk seemed visibly perturbed by the group.
"There is no secret agenda here," he said. "This is a business decision that has been made. Reading all the letters (from Think Again members), there's a lot of emotion behind them. But this is a business decision. We've been looking at the data for quite a while.
"You folks are not paying attention; you're not listening to us," he said to groans and shouts of "Oh, come on" from the audience.
Mike Estes, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, echoed sentiments made by others on the board by asking the MTA board to "redirect your charge. We think the current toll plaza would be a very adequate site. Please back up and look at it. Stop the process now and reconsider it. Take some time."
The MTA board is expected to come to York for a public hearing some time in July, after the staff submits a draft report on the toll plaza.

Seacoast Online

legal fund eyed for toll fight
By Deborah McDermott
dmcdermott@seacoast
April 30, 2008 6:00 AM
YORK, Maine — Mike Estes thinks there could be a long road ahead for the town in its efforts to ensure the Maine Turnpike Authority doesn't build a new toll plaza in York.
That's why the chairman of the Board of Selectmen suggested to his colleagues Monday that the town establish a legal fund specifically designated for the toll plaza.
Estes asked that the board consider setting aside any extra money in the legal account at the end of the fiscal year June 30, and carrying it forward into a fund, along with at least a portion of the fiscal year 2009 legal account. Town Manager Robert Yandow said later that there is around $30,000 in the 2008 legal account; each year, the line item is $70,000.
Estes also suggested looking at other unencumbered money for inclusion in the fund.
He said he was concerned that there could be a legal battle looming in the future, and it appeared that the MTA staff was "not too interested in what we have to say." The other members agreed that it was "a great idea," as selectman Ted Little said, but they wanted to make sure "it's handled properly," said Dwight Bardwell. They also suggested that the fund not just be for legal matters, but for any expense that might come up, such as engineering work.
No action was taken on the idea. Yandow will bring the board more information as the fiscal year winds to a close.

Page A6
Monday April 7, 2008

Reasons to applaud Seacoast citizens
April 07, 2008 6:00 AM
Thumbs up: To the approximately 500 citizens who answered the Maine Turnpike Authority's call for public opinion on its new toll plaza proposal.
The public opinion is in — and it is overwhelmingly negative.
Citizen after citizen begged, pleaded, argued and cajoled the MTA to "do the right thing" and find another site for its improved toll plaza, preferably one that wouldn't require the taking of homes by eminent domain or have such a major impact on the community.
As the MTA moves forward, its final plans must address the deep anxiety expressed by so many hundreds of residents. It must find a way to make this important project less damaging to those who potentially stand in its path. Compromise and good faith negotiations should lead to a project acceptable to all.