Be careful what you wish for

I think about the phrase, "be careful what you wish for, you might get it" when I hear about the joy that some feel at the denial of the request by the Town of Carrabassett Valley to annex the lands of Redington Township. The opponents of this bill were so focused on their opposition to windmills, they became blind to the benefits that this annexation could provide to our town and the local communities.

I testified at the hearings in Augusta for annexation, and got to listen to the same environmental groups talk only about the "horrors" of windmills. The selectman of CV voted to allow this request to go to the legislature knowing that ultimately it would be the town's residents who would debate and decide if they wanted to annex the lands of Redington Township. Try as we might to get the discussion to be about the recreational and economic opportunities for the area, the focus of the hearings in Augusta remained about windmills.

All that being said, however, the committee that actually listened to all this testimony voted 10 to 3 to approve annexation, only to have it ultimately voted down by the full Senate weeks later.

It is common knowledge that the original proposal for annexation of Redington to CV was presented to the selectman at a public hearing by the developer that wants to build windmills. The selectman felt that any decision to annex the land, and change our comprehensive plan, would all have to be approved by a town vote. Our decision to support the request to the legislature was only to allow the process to go forward and give OUR residents the opportunity to ultimately decide if they wanted to annex the land.

As we continued to study the prospect of annexing the lands of Redington Township we soon realized there were many recreational and economic opportunities that would be available to the town with the addition of this land. Even without the prospect of the development of renewable energy, these lands would add to the recreational opportunities for our residents and guests. Hiking, fishing, hunting and better access to Caribou pond were all possibilities with the addition of these lands to CV. The prospects of enhancing the recreational opportunities for the town could become a real possibility with the addition of these lands. Whether windmills, or any other development, would ever be allowed on these lands would be solely up to the decision of the Residents of CV.

This was the debate that we so much wanted to occur in the Town of Carrabassett Valley. This really was about Local Choice. Windmills were responsible for planting the seed, but need not be the reason that the town should not continue to look at the possibility of annexing adjacent lands.

The Town of Carrabassett Valley was formed by annexation, and we have a long history of responsible planning and development to balance our recreational needs with our protection of the environment. Our planning board members and residents are among the most informed and educated group when it comes to viewing proposals which come before the Town. My hope is that we continue to look at the possibility of annexation, and allow our residents to debate and continue to make decisions at a local level that positively affects the quality of life we all hold so dear in the Western Mountains.

Lloyd Cuttler is a Carrabassett Valley resident

and selectman.