Letters to the Editor
Portland Press Herald
To the Editor:
Anyone who has been down the long rocky road, both literal
and figurative,
between the Blanchard Parking Lot and the Cousins Island Wharf
knows that
the time has come for state ownership of the wharf, lot and the
road to get
there.
Your recent editorial completely ignores forty years of task
forces,
committees and resolution teams who have repeatedly tried and
failed to
reach the mythical "compromise" that comes so easily
to those who haven't
grappled with this monster.
One thing on which all problem-solving groups agree (including
MDOT) is
that parking on Cousins is essential to sustain the existence
of one of the
few island communities left in Maine.
My calculations indicate that if Nancy Blanchard were to live
another
twenty years she would have to triple the cost of parking to realize
the
same $600,000 she has already received from the State. And after
she's
gone, the lot goes to Yarmouth who has (1) called for the town
to take the
lot by eminent domain for a picnic area, (2) sought to close the
lot
altogether, (3) attempted to levy landing fees on the ferry, (4)
effectively rejected a CMP solution with unreasonable conditions,
(5)
proposed a gate to bar wharf access and (6) continues enforcing
ordinances
impeding access to Chebeague.
The history of this dispute shows that every alternative has
been
considered and discarded leaving the current action as the last
resort that
will ensure Chebeague's survival. Thank you, MDOT, for not letting
another
island community die.
Sincerely,
David R. Hill
Cousins Island, Yarmouth
846-4664