Lincolnville is currently in a years long “Community Heart and Soul” Initiative.
Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it.
In the middle of this lovely process, the purchase of the Lobster Pound Takeout property was accomplished by the state of Maine. The Friends of Lincolnville Beach desire a partnership with MDOT to save what the citizens expressed is important to them.
The statement on the environment reads as follows:
Environment
We are committed to caring for the diverse and peaceful natural environment, the clean air, dark sky, beaches, ocean and fresh waters, forests, mountains, and wildlife of Lincolnville that are essential to the well-being of all.
(See Full Heart and Soul Statements)
When the MDOT spokesperson presented the tentative outline, he was very clear that part of the value of the property is that they are not mandated to follow our ordinances.
They also said their mandate was for 30 parking spaces but that they are obliged to make as many as possible (60+). See the Plan.
Our idea is to find a compromise and have them eliminate the parking spaces that encroach on the only green lawn with trees at the increasingly popular public beach and for them to be innovative and sustainable with their plans for “hardscaping” .
• Black-top is not necessary for a seasonal parking lot. Blacktop increases heat and run off and is ugly. There are environmentally sound surfaces that can be utilized that would solve the parking but not compromise the land. We want permeable pavement solutions to be considered. Here is a review of the impact of stormwater and leaching from pavements on the environment
• We would like to see the beach connected to green space close to the water and to be able to get out of the sun under the shade trees.
•A food truck or two (they could be moved during a storm) would provide busy families the ability to grab a snack on the way to a sporting event, or just for a picnic. People waiting for the ferry would also appreciate having some seaside amenities while they wait. The concession revenue would make up for the lost parking.
• Picnic Tables with Umbrellas along the water would be nice.
• We would like soft lighting so that our guests and residents don’t look at bright lights all night long, Most of the people that come here are trying to get away from that and really appreciate the stars when the weather is clear at night!
We understand that parking is an issue. But we can’t act like this is just an ordinary piece of land. The state has the ability to create a small park instead of extra parking spaces. Down the road those extra parking spaces can be found, but once we cover the land in tar it will not come back.