DEXTER, Maine — The Dexter Planning Board must decide whether or not to recommend zoning changes to the property that contains the town’s former high school.
Al Hodsdon of A.E. Hodsdon Consulting Engineers of Waterville asked for zoning changes on the 42-acre property between Lake Wassookeag and Grove Street that is now owned by Gerald Marshall. Hodsdon presented the board with Marshall’s preliminary plans during Thursday’s meeting.
“We’re working on getting the zones revised or changed to accommodate the plans that Mr. Marshall has for essentially developing that site,” said Hodsdon on Friday. “It will be done in phases. Each phase will be required to meet all of the reviews and conditions of the planning board.”
One issue, said Hodsdon, is the property is currently listed as a residential zone. He said he wants to get that changed to a commercial zone.
“It will enable him to do what he’s planning to do up there. He wants to convert [the former elementary school] to apartments, and I think that’s allowed in the commercial zone, but I’m not sure if it’s allowed in the residential zone.”
Other plans for the property include a campground, five apartments on the west side near Grove Street, four camps and a lodge on the east side near Lake Wassookeag and a toboggan run. Hodsdon said Marshall doesn’t have any plans for the former high school at the moment.
The land on the shore of the lake is listed in resource protection. More than a dozen people attended the meeting, with many expressing concerns because the land is so close to the town’s drinking water intake.
“I’m concerned for the health and welfare for over 2,000 people in the town,” said Pete Mealey of the Dexter Utility District. “That outlet is less than 100 feet from his property.”
“I think they’re concerned for the protection of the lake. That’s our goal too,” said Hodsdon.
Hodsdon said he and Marshall will address the concerns, especially of that of bodily contact with the water. Because a campground is planned for the center of the property, a few people at the meeting were concerned about people swimming in the lake.
“If we put a campground on that hill, campers are going to want to go swimming,” said Mealey. “Bodily contact with the water is one of the greatest generators of pollutants in the water.”
Hodsdon mentioned during the meeting that a swimming pool could be constructed near the campground to prevent people from swimming in the lake.
On the east side, four residential cabins will be built, with a fifth building in the middle being a lodge, said Hodsdon. The cabins are intended for Marshall’s children.
The cabins and lodge would be about 20 to 50 feet beyond the 100-foot setback, said Hodsdon. That land is currently in resource protection, which Marshall would like changed. The reason the land is in resource protection is because the slope of the land is greater than 20 percent, said Hodsdon.
“I believe the slope is not over 20 percent for the whole area. Some are slightly over and some a little bit less,” said Hodsdon.
Board member Sherman Leighton said that measuring of the slope increments could be decreased to see if the lot could come out of resource protection.
Hodsdon added that because the high school is connected to the town’s sewer system, septic systems would not be needed.
The planning board agreed to have Hodsdon and Marshall back for its next meeting on June 13 so they could present better detailed plans. A member of the Maine Department of Environment Protection also will be present.
A public hearing on the rezoning of the property is slated for June 28.
“I’m optimistic that we can work out the details to come up with the solutions to allow Mr. Marshall to do what he’s envisioned here,” said Hodsdon. “I think he has excellent visions of what he can do there. He can create jobs and still protect the lake.”
The primary/middle school was at that location, not the high school.
The middle school was originally Dexter’s high school.
“If we put a campground on that hill, campers are going to want to go swimming,” said [Pete} Mealey. Let’s face it, campers WILL go swimming in the lake, no matter what we say or do.
How about all the people who swim at the public beach! The beach is not that far from the outlet.
Isn’t that why we have a multi-million dollar Water Treatment plant? One of the reasons I left Dexter was the huge bill I got every 3 months. Isn’t that what the Plant is for? What about boats with gasoline and oil? No Mr Marshall,we don’t want your tax money.We use it for our immense welfare there,lol. I hope reason and not power is used in these decisions.
QUOTE “If we put a campground on that hill, campers are going to want to go swimming,” said Mealey. “Bodily contact with the water is one of the greatest generators of pollutants in the water.” END QUOTE
Wow, that’s digging deep. It is possible that people from outside of Dexter take a shower say…once a week, Pete. Better close the beach and ban boats too.
Serioulsy like people aren’t swimming in the lake already????? LAME excuse Mealey.
Better come up with something better than that one.
So… what i don’t understand is: Where all the concern is coming from when the property has been used for swimming and camping all along, so now when the place is FINALLY sold to the benefit of the town…suddenly WOW all kinds of concerns over the water..didn’t they expect that if someone purchased the land that they would want to use it .. and if there are concerns then the water district should have addressed those along time ago BEFORE the property was sold NOT AFTER …and then not try to extort the property back after it was already sold…and now when someone is trying to create jobs and help the Dexter economy all they’ve been getting is allot of negativity and road blocks along the way..and what is the difference with what he wants to do and the next door neighbors are doing..they are only at the end of his property line..see rental listing attached link http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p118481…
I think Mr. Marshall should of done his homework before purchasing the property and he would of discovered that it was in “resource protections” and that it was “residential zoning”. The one consideration town counsil needs to address during their decision making is the well being of the high school and their students. Currently the neighborhood surrounding the high school contains no distractions for their educational well being. Mr. Marshall isn’t clear on the types of apartments he wants to put on the property. I can only hope that the town counsil will disapprove of “Low Income Housing”….all prejudice aside, we all know the types of problems that come with these dwellings. Keep the neighbor hood clean and make decisions that will be fair to the land owner and the community.
Aparently you didn’t read the article. No where did it say that he was interested in low income housing. However, if his other ideas get shot down he could go the low income way, that he could do in residential.
No it wasn’t in the article normanrockwell but his wife did mention this at a town meeting when they purchased the property.