In a Dec. 22 letter to Gerry Audibert of the Dept. of Transportation, Lincoln County Planner Robert Faunce urged the DOT to “press forward” with selecting a route for a bypass around Wiscasset village.
The letter reinforces the motion Faunce introduced to the Bypass Task Force Committee on Dec. 15 which effectively gave the green light to transportation officials to continue efforts toward the construction of a bypass.
Despite the DOT’s decision to shelve the “long bridge” route, NC8, the letter points out a potential loophole in the protection act.
In his letter, Faunce states he has “no preference” for one alternative over another but urged the agency to focus on “exception No. 3 in the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act” which would allow a nest to be removed if it prevents the use of a pre-existing human-engineered structure.
Faunce states in his letter that the nest is in “immediate proximity” to the DOT’s maintenance yard and activity peaks at the same time that a nest is likely to be occupied.
He also argues that additional structures on privately owned land that could be “adversely” affected by the nest. Faunce provided aerial photos of the general area of the nest and photos of the properties within the radius of the protection zone.
Further, Faunce asked for clarification on how the presence of a nest may affect future development of privately owned land.
“Will the proximity of the nest prohibit the owner of lot 2.1, for example, from constructing a shopping center or condominium project on the property or will the value of the lot be effectively taken without compensation?” Faunce wrote.
The letter concludes with a plea for a rational approach to dealing with situations in “coastal Maine beyond simply stopping development, or a desperately needed bypass, in its tracks.”
Faunce has come under scrutiny for what some perceived as a premeditated attempt to steer the Bypass Task Force into accepting the DOT decision to seek an alternative to NC8.
The Town of Edgecomb has actively opposed such a move and recently began forming its own independent task force committee to study potential ways to stop construction of an alternative.
The DOT is still accepting public comment in writing into January.
