To the Editor:
As The Lincoln County News editorial in the last edition said, that in canceling Gateway 1, Gov. Paul LePage is “walking the walk he talked about on the campaign trail.” As an alternate representative from Nobleboro on Gateway’s Implementation Steering Committee, I for one applaud that decision.
On the other hand, the editorial seemed to hem and haw about whether or not it was the right decision. Was Gateway 1 the right vision for Maine? I don’t think so. Gateway 1 envisioned a series of concentrated villages along the highway where people could just walk in order to shop, go to the doctor, or eat out and see a movie. For longer trips, Gateway 1 wanted people to travel by train, not cars. I don’t think this a system that can actually work in rural Maine.
Gateway 1 was attempting to make a regional governing body that would take local control out of the hands of duly elected officials and thus out of the hands of the voters. All of this planning was going to be paid for with “free” grant money, which is actually your tax money or that of your children’s.
Nobleboro’s ballot will still have the Gateway 1 issue on the ballot because the ballots had already been printed. Some ballots already have been cast by absentee ballot when the decision to stop Gateway 1 was announced. Five other towns have already voted it down and rightly so. I hope Nobleboro will be the sixth town to say no to Gateway 1.
As noted in the LCN, over $2 million has already been spent for this overzealous planning effort. We all owe Gov. LePage a debt of gratitude for stepping in and stopping this plan before it could be enacted.
Let’s keep our land use issues under the local control of our elected officials.
Eden Spear, Nobleboro
