Fresh Water Initiative Under Way At Schools

Contractor Hauling Trash, Recycling Remains the Same

Transmission Line Looks More Likely

Conservation Commission News

Final Survey Report Released

Fresh Water Initiative Under Way At Schools

By Bob Pulver, Lamoine Conservation Commission

(Lamoine) Students from Lamoine have become research assistants for the George Mitchell Center for Environment and Watershed Research at the University of Maine, Orono.

The Mitchell Center researchers, John Peckenham and Teresa Thornton are studying

ground water quality in the communities of Lamoine, Ellsworth, and Hancock.

Fifth and sixth grade students in the classrooms of Tim Barlow and Linda Brooks will begin their research on April 13. They will conduct a variety of water quality tests on water samples taken from their homes. The Mitchell Center researchers and volunteers from the Lamoine Conservation Commission will assist the students with their research.

Students will learn scientific techniques and procedures by being part of a University Research team. The project is long term in nature and will provide Lamoine students with many future opportunities to work with the Mitchell Center.

The results of the tests will be compiled by the students and presented to the Mitchell Center, the town of Lamoine, and the Lamoine Conservation Commission before the end of the school year.

Initial funding for student supplies and teacher training has been provided by a Grant from Healthy Acadia, a Healthy Maine Partnership.

Contractor Hauling Trash, Recycling Remains the Same

(Lamoine) — Pine Tree Waste will continue to be the town's contractor for hauling trash from the Lamoine Transfer Station to the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company in Orrington for the next five years. The company will also haul recyclable materials to Bangor for processing.

The town put the contract, which expires on June 30th, to bid by mailing requests for bids directly to the various competitors in the area. Only three bids came back—Pine Tree Waste, Mark Wright Disposal and Harris Disposal. Pine Tree's bid was significantly lower than the other two companies.

The town is exploring a different way of having Pine Tree take away cardboard. Currently the cardboard is placed into 10-yard dumpsters which the town rents from Pine Tree. They're emptied weekly into the same truck used for several other business cardboard recycling operations. Pine Tree keeps the revenue from the cardboard sales. The initial proposed contract would replace that practice with having Lamoine's cardboard hauled separately with the town paying additional rent for the containers but receiving the recycling revenue. Details on that operation were still under discussion in late March, so no final contract has been signed.

The Lamoine Conservation Commission has been studying the recycling possibilities in town, and suggested that the Selectmen might not want to lock the town into a long-term contract. Among the options the commission is exploring is whether hauling to Coastal Recycling in Hancock might make more sense. Lamoine used to be a member of Coastal, but the dues and the cost to haul from Lamoine to Hancock were more expensive than hauling the material to Bangor for processing and sale.

The proposed contract with Pine Tree contains a provision that allows the town to renegotiate the cost should a different end user be selected. Pine Tree officials say it costs close to the same to haul to Bangor as it would to Hancock because the trucks that pick up the recycling roll-off containers are based in Bangor. The present contract expires on June 30th.

Transmission Line Looks More Likely

(Lamoine) — Bangor Hydro Electric has purchased several Lamoine land parcels in anticipation of a possible major transmission line connecting the Hancock sub-station to Mt. Desert Island. Purchases in the last several months include an entire sub-division on the northwest side of Douglas Highway, a residential lot and home on Buttermilk Road, and a large parcel of vacant land between Buttermilk Road and Route 3.

The utility provided a written update to the Conservation Commission in early March, restating their goals to provide a more stable power source to Mt. Desert Island. The letter said Bangor Hydro is working with individual landowners first to hear about their concerns before announcing any final proposed route. It said a proposed route is likely to be announced later this year. Once that happens, the utility says it will form a working group to address the many concerns that have already come forward about a new transmission line. Permitting for the project from state, federal and local agencies could take up to a year. Construction should begin in 2008.

Representatives of Bangor Hydro met last fall with the Lamoine Conservation Commission and spoke of the need for another transmission line to MDI. Diesel generators on the island have become very expensive and environmentally unfriendly to operate when there is either too little power coming from the mainland or that circuit is interrupted. The purpose of the transmission line is to eliminate the need for the generators and to provide a stable source of electricity for MDI. Company officials say they're looking at issues in Ellsworth and Trenton as well as Lamoine before finalizing the route for the transmission line. An official said if the Lamoine route falls through, the lots purchased could be sold.

Conservation Commission News

By Fred Stocking, Chair

(Lamoine) - In April, the Conservation Commission will have an informational presentation on shellfish and safety by Rob Goodwin, scientist at the Department of Marine Resources lab at the Lamoine State Park at our April 12 th meeting. A volunteer to put this talk out on cable TV would be appreciated (but if you come in person you get cookies).

We've been seeing new faces, with new energy and issues of concern. We love it and hope that it continues. The Recycling Subcommittee plans to be very active this Summer, and would welcome fresh energy. We're very open to new projects, if they are presented with an offer to provide time and energy as well. Protecting our inter-tidal zone and identifying key recreational properties in the Town are two projects that are frequently mentioned as things we would like to add to our agenda.

The Get Wet school water testing program is off to a great start, spearheaded by Bob Pulver, and the Conservation Commission is preparing for the annual Roadside Clean-up on May 13 th under the able leadership of Georgia Munsell and Lynda Tadema-Wielandt (see related articles on each).

The Conservation would appreciate hearing from folks who may attend meetings of groups with similar interests in the surrounding communities—The Union River Watershed Association, Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Acadia Disposal District, Coastal recycling, and planning boards, conservation commissions or special study groups in neighboring towns. We would love to have you help keep us informed. There's a lot going on in the neighborhood, and who knows where the next great idea for collaboration may come from. The Conservation Commission meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at the town hall.

Final Survey Report Released

(Lamoine) - The town's long-range planning committee has released it's analysis on the survey taken in November 2005. The five page report from the committee touches on all the issues polled in the survey distributed to voters an interested property owners on Election Day. The survey was also available on line to fill out.

Copies of the final report are available at the town hall, and it is posted on the town's website (www.lamoine-me.gov). Many folks picked up a copy at the school on Town Meeting night.

The Long Range Committee will next delve into the Comprehensive Plan approved in 1996 to see how things stand 10-years later.