EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — Town leaders will send U.S. Sen. Angus King a letter underlining the town’s rejection of a proposed North Woods national park in a nonbinding referendum held five months ago, officials said Thursday.
With Selectmen Clint Linscott dissenting, the board voted 4-1 on Tuesday to send the single-page letter, town Administrative Assistant Angela Cote said.
“They have been kicking it back and forth for a number of weeks now, probably a month,” Cote said Thursday. “The point was letting [King’s staff] know what the outcome of the election was and whether or not there was support for the park as proposed.”
Selectmen had intended to send the letter sooner but are handling several other matters, such as the replacement of the town’s wastewater treatment facilities, she said.
East Millinocket voted 320-191 against the national park on June 29. The family of Burt’s Bees entrepreneur Roxanne Quimby has backed the idea since at least 2011, but King rekindled interest in the concept when Millinocket officials revealed on Feb. 7 that he had sought their requirements of a park should federal legislation seek one. Only Congress can create a park.
The selectmen’s vote on Tuesday comes after a push from park advocates on Nov. 10 in Bangor in which they unveiled 13,580 petition signatures from people around the world in hopes of convincing Maine’s congressional delegation to help make it a reality.
East Millinocket previously rejected a study of the proposed park location east of Baxter State Park with a 513-132 vote in 2011.
The letter to King asks him to “consider the voice of our community when formulating your opinion on the subject of a national park/recreation area.”
“Our region is rich in forest resources and recreational opportunities. We have hard-working, skilled workers and an existing infrastructure that needs preservation and improvement in terms of a private road network, hydropower, rail and [Interstate 95]. We hope that you will help attract investment opportunities that would take advantage of these assets and create good paying, year-round jobs. We would be happy to sit down and discuss the area’s challenges with you and work together to find a way to bring business and jobs back to the Katahdin region,” the letter states.
East Millinocket school Superintendent Eric Steeves wrote a letter to selectmen on Monday warning them to avoid stating a position on the park.
He said in the letter that he feared that “the perception of taking sides on any major issue would likely result in negative feedback and hinder cooperative relationships” the school has with backers of some outdoor-recreation programs being developed.
Board Chairman Mark Scally said Thursday that the board was obligated to follow through on its promise to relate to King townspeople’s position on the park.
The letter to King will be mailed in the next few days, Cote said.