While much of the hardest work is yet to be done, the process of purchasing and developing a three-acre mainland lot is already paying dividends by uniting the different communities of the Cranberry Isles, and encouraging more communication between summer and year-round residents.
This was the message speakers gave at a public information breakfast for the project on Great Cranberry Aug. 6.
“This project is about whether this town wants to be one of the 286 island communities that no longer exist, or one of the 14 that still are here,” former State Senator Jill Goldthwait told the breakfast crowd. “This is going to work. It’s going to be really hard, but it’s really important that you don’t get scared and stop working together.
The town has borrowed $2.4 million to acquire and develop the mainland lot, and now hopes to raise as much money as possible to help minimize increases in property taxes. More than $200,000 has already been raised in grants, state programs and community gifts. An additional $55,000 in in-kind gifts (services, time, etc.) has also been provided by the Island Institute and community members.
Although the initial decision to purchase the land was controversial, the populations of Great Cranberry and Islesford – the only islands in the town of Cranberry Isles with year-round populations – have come together and worked hard to ensure that the Manset lot is as great an asset to the Cranberries as possible.
This process, noted Great Cranberry resident and co-chair of the fund raising committee Barbara Meyers, has helped to increase the sense of community between the islands. Selectman Richard Beal added that he was pleased to see more civic involvement from seasonal residents, and that efforts are being made to change the date of the annual town meeting in order to allow for more participation from the summer community.
Both year-round and seasonal residents attended a planning workshop and public input meeting held on Islesford July 10, where they helped establish both concrete next steps and imaginative possibilities for the development, management and use of the Manset lot.
The strategy tentatively agreed on by those in attendance – including selectmen and members of the commission appointed to oversee management of the mainland lot – includes the development of a business plan for the property, which will ensure that it generates at least enough revenue to cover yearly operating and upkeep expenses and property taxes.
The plan also would call for the appointment of a municipal board, similar in structure to a school board, to oversee the budget for the property and direct any employees hired to manage it. The property currently has two buildings, which could be rented to generate revenue, plus 137 parking spaces, a pier and a barge landing.
“We basically have a plan to make a plan,” said Eve Harrison, co-chair of the Land Management Commission (LMC). “But the follow-through is always the most difficult part.” She added that she was encouraged by the strategy’s potential to establish a system of “checks and balances” for management of the project.
At an afternoon workshop facilitated by Ron Beard of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Jim Connors of the State Planning Office, Selectmen and members of the LMC set these goals for the Manset facility: to provide parking and docking space for island residents (seasonal and year-round) in a secure town-controlled mainland site; to make the operation of the facility self-supporting and possibly contribute to reducing the long-term debt incurred by the town in order to purchase it; and to operate the facility to meet other island community interests.
Aided by the expertise of David Hill, a representative of the Small Business Development Center of Coastal Enterprises, Inc., and Mike Bush of Eastern Maine Development Corporation, workshop participants discussed the need for developing a business plan for the Manset facility. Such a plan would state the goals and objectives of the venture, create a cash-flow analysis based on potential costs and revenues, yield job descriptions or staff responsibilities, and establish lines of authority and communication.
“I want this project to allow me to live here on the island year round and work on the mainland. I can’t do that now because I teach and with the ferry schedule, I had to move off the island,” said Erica Merrill.
Island Institute Fellow Jesse Minor presented the results of a survey sent out to island taxpayers, both year-round and seasonal, at the start of the evening session in order to encourage further discussion. The survey – which had a greater than 50 percent return rate, documented both existing parking and docking needs and future possibilities.
Seasonal resident Frank Reece said he hoped the efforts that have been made so far to inform and include seasonal residents in the project’s development would continue.
“I want this process to be a means whereby year-round residents who vote can communicate more effectively and regularly with non-voting taxpayers,” Reece said.