Town Of Searsmont

Planning Board Minutes

October 21, 2008

1. Call to Order: 7:00pm.

2. Attendance:

Chair: George Sprowl, Vice Chair: Paul Leeper, Andrea Walker, Jack

Degraff, and Dave Marceau.

3. Minutes:

Review of October 7, 2008. Motion made, seconded and passed

Unanimously to not approve. The Planning Board will review them at next

meeting.

4. Applications and Request:

None

5. Communications:

Paul spoke with Rich Baker from the Department of Environmental Protection/Shoreland Zoning Department. Paul stated that Rich would be willing to come down to look at the Planning Boards findings on the new mapping of Inland waterfowl and wading bird habitat area’s as it may or may not meet the States credentials, as the State had mapped out.

6. Old Business:

The Board discussed further changes of the State of Maine’s updated Shoreland Zoning and made comparisons of the Town of Searsmonts’ Resource Protected areas and Inland Waterfowl and Wading Bird Habitat.

The Planning Board members surveyed the land parcels in question to belonging in Resource Protection and concern still remained in some areas. For this reason The Board felt it was necessary to re-visit the following areas and report back on it:

Dave Marceau hiked out by Route 3 around Bartlett Stream, Ruffingham Meadow and Quantabacook Pond. This area is currently classified as Resources Protection. Dave found an old school house, a restaurant and other significant buildings in the area. The South side of Bartlett Stream is in Resource Protection. Given his findings, he felt that it should be zoned differently.

The Planning Board made a Motion to place on the Town Warrant, a modification of the district map, of the current Searsmont Zoning map and text to have the following change: A Resource Protection District from the mouth of Bartlett Stream at Quantabacook to include Map 7 lot 83 and 84, to the Southside Map 7 lots 71 and 72; Map 9 lot 17 and those applicable Shoreland areas of the south side and map 9 lot 55 on the North side of the stream. The remainder of Bartlett’s Stream will remain the same.

Motion made, seconded and passed unanimously to accept.

Dave Marceau surveyed Witcher Swamp and the discussions focused around his observations. Dave feels that a portion of this area should not be in Resource Protection, it is wetland and may warrant more than a 75’ stream buffer. Further discussions will continue.

The Board reviewed some of the town’s Ordinances and compared it to the States Shoreland guidelines. This week the Board reviewed the Searsmont Town Ordinance sections 100, 200, & 300. The Planning Board found sections100 and 200 to have no significant changes. Section 300 the definitions, had some changes that the Planning Board will review and discuss at the next meeting, mostly due to the definition or lack of, forested wetlands.

Sections 300,400, 500, and 600 of our town’s ordinance will be discussed

at the following meetings as well as more of Inland Waterfowl and Wading

bird Habitat changes.

7. New Business:

None

8. Adjournment:

Motion, made, seconded and passed unanimously to adjourn

at 9:00p.m.