CAMDEN, Maine — Residents turned out Tuesday night to vent their frustrations with continued erosion from the redevelopment of the Camden Snow Bowl, saying it threatens the health of Hosmer Pond.
“You have repeatedly shown you can’t protect the pond,” said resident Dorie Klein who lives on Hosmer Pond. “This is like the town running a sick race horse at the Kentucky Derby. You’re hoping it won’t die before the finish line.”
Lee Schneller Sligh, another of several neighbors who showed up for the Camden Select Board meeting, said there have been seven major events since mid-June in which sediment has been swept into Hosmer Pond from the construction project at the town-owned and operated ski resort. She said the town has failed to take proper steps to prevent erosion. She said residents have been placated and misled as the town seeks to get the project completed.
“You have drastically changed what we call our home for your grandiose plans for the Snow Bowl with no consideration for the environment, wildlife or the residents around Hosmer Pond,” added Snow Bowl neighbor Judy Goodman.
Schneller Sligh said the lack of interest in the concerns of residents by town officials is evident. She pointed out that she was prohibited by the town manager last week from accompanying town officials as they toured the site with a representative of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Schneller Sligh said at Tuesday night’s meeting she was not allowed to make a powerpoint presentation and instead had a friend hold up large photographs of erosion on Ragged Mountain. At the same meeting, school officials were allowed to have a powerpoint presentation.
Rick Knowlton, who co-chairs the Ragged Mountain Redevelopment Committee and who also works for the local water company, said this year thus far has been the fifth wettest year since records have been kept dating back to 1913. He said the unusual amount of precipitation has been the primary reason for the erosion. Knowlton said that professional people are working on the project and that he and the others who support the project care about Hosmer Pond because it is an important part of the four season recreation area at Ragged Mountain.
“You need to stay the course. The best thing to be done is to finish the project,” Knowlton told the Select Board.
The completed project will feature new ski lifts, a new trail, an expanded beginner ski area, new snowmaking equipment, added and improved parking, and a new, larger lodge.
The opening date has been delayed from the scheduled Dec. 20 date. Snow Bowl General Manager Landon Fake pointed out Tuesday night that, due to weather, the chair lift at the Snow Bowl has only twice begun operating before Christmas in the past 40 years. He said while some work is left to be done, the warm weather is the biggest factor causing the delay in opening this year.
Select Board members said they share the concerns of residents but they also support the management of the town and the Snow Bowl, as well as the work being done at the facility.
“I think we need to stand as one so that people can ski down the mountain by the first of the year,” Select Board member Donald White Jr. said.
He said the best way to address the erosion is to get the project done.
Board member Leonard Lookner said he had been shot down when he proposed having the town hire a project manager to oversee the entire project. Now, however, the sides need to work together, he said, to get the redevelopment completed.