Harpswell rejects $2 million offer

 As posted earlier a group of Harpswell residents were seeking to lock in a conservation plan with an easement.  However the town council has rejected it, apparently looking to keep it’s options open.

The Board of Selectmen rejected a $2 million offer Thursday that would have prevented heavy industry from ever occupying a prized oceanfront property.

The selectmen said they would not put the offer for the 118- acre Mitchell Field property on the March town meeting warrant.

If the town had voted to accept the money, the Harpswell Coastal Coalition would have been guaranteed a permanent conservation easement on the town-owned land, prohibiting heavy industry there.

- PressHerald

Group seeking easment to protect Mitchell Field

In an effort to manage the future use of Mitchell Field in Harpswell, a group of residents is offering the town $2 million in exchange for a conservation easement. The proposed easement is designed around a recently approved Mitchell Field Master Plan meant to preserve most of the 118-acre site, while allowing some business use.

Members of the Harpswell Coastal Coalition are scheduled to present their plan to the Board of Selectmen this week. Coalition members want the selectmen to place the $2 million offer before residents at Harpswell’s annual town meeting in March.

If voters approve the offer, uses such as a liquefied natural gas plant would not be allowed on the oceanfront property. Marine business uses — such as boatbuilding — would be permitted.

- PressHerald