Editing and playing with versions of my pictures and collected materials.
Big news. The Plum Creek rezoning plan was thrown out by a state judge because the previous judge did not follow legal procedures of public comment. I hope the plan does not get thrown away. I want it to be over, but I do not want some of what it will bring—people, more people. So much was acomplished in all the hearings and many people contributed to the changes that matter to Maine people. They will need to run public hearings on the last version and LURC will vote again. I cannot emphasize the volumes of work done to protect and perserve important places, and there are still parts that do not make sense and that people do not like, but change is inevitable. I had thought that when the individual sites sought development, that would be the time for redress and critical analysis. People are tired and frustrated by constant negative banter and the power of money. It seems everyone was paid off by Plum Creek to get the plan through. Representative Davis of Sangerville complained that a corporation paid 25 million to seek rezoning. This amount does not shock me; they retained law firms, marketing firms, economists, every expert and scholar, and donated to community groups too. The five years of litigation was long and divisive. It may have put Moosehead on the map, but it hurt the social integrity of our community. People want and need jobs. Plum Creek makes promises of jobs. The truth of what will be in the region in twenty years cannot be seen. There are hundreds more homes here than when I was a child, but there are far less jobs and less opportunities for entrepreneurship. The mills closed because of cost. Even the internet can not counter the overbearing costs of transportation and heating. This territory is beyond the pale. I love it, but times change and people need to accept it or it will just happen around them. I want to fight for the quality of life in the region, but development is going to happen. We need to strike a balance and protect special places and the contiguous silvaculture that is the future of any industry in the region.
Big news. The Plum Creek rezoning plan was thrown out by a state judge because the previous judge did not follow legal procedures of public comment. I hope the plan does not get thrown away. I want it to be over, but I do not want some of what it will bring—people, more people. So much was acomplished in all the hearings and many people contributed to the changes that matter to Maine people. They will need to run public hearings on the last version and LURC will vote again. I cannot emphasize the volumes of work done to protect and perserve important places, and there are still parts that do not make sense and that people do not like, but change is inevitable. I had thought that when the individual sites sought development, that would be the time for redress and critical analysis. People are tired and frustrated by constant negative banter and the power of money. It seems everyone was paid off by Plum Creek to get the plan through. Representative Davis of Sangerville complained that a corporation paid 25 million to seek rezoning. This amount does not shock me; they retained law firms, marketing firms, economists, every expert and scholar, and donated to community groups too. The five years of litigation was long and divisive. It may have put Moosehead on the map, but it hurt the social integrity of our community. People want and need jobs. Plum Creek makes promises of jobs. The truth of what will be in the region in twenty years cannot be seen. There are hundreds more homes here than when I was a child, but there are far less jobs and less opportunities for entrepreneurship. The mills closed because of cost. Even the internet can not counter the overbearing costs of transportation and heating. This territory is beyond the pale. I love it, but times change and people need to accept it or it will just happen around them. I want to fight for the quality of life in the region, but development is going to happen. We need to strike a balance and protect special places and the contiguous silvaculture that is the future of any industry in the region.
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