York Town News
Selectmen: Town Farm not for sale
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK VILLAGE - The land that once served as home to some of the town's most destitute residents could be preserved forever as a combination historic site and public park.Whatever its future turns out to be, however, the site of the former Town Farm buildings will not be sold as residential house lots.
After hearing from a number of local residents and assessing the potential benefits of the property with the donation of about 17 acres of adjacent land, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on Monday, Jan. 8, to remove parcels of about 2.5 acres along Long Sands and Ferncroft roads from consideration for sale, to establish a committee and to request a proposal for the future of the Town Farm to be included on the November ballot.
The decision came after a lengthy public hearing and a discussion by the board that included the recent donation of an adjacent parcel by local developer Duane Jellison, set to be on the ballot for voter approval this May. As Selectmen Chairman David Marshall pointed out, the town will own contiguous land totaling about 32 acres and connecting the Town Farm to the York High School property.
Voters authorized the selectmen to consider the sale of the Town Farm parcels, located at 178 Long Sands Road and 44 Ferncroft Road, with a number of town-owned properties, last May. As the review process moved forward; however, residents came out in opposition to the potential loss of the York Community Gardens on the site and to the development of land that was home - and final resting place - to some of York's poorest residents centuries past.
Then, in December, Jellison came forward with the donation of abutting land, and the selectmen scheduled a public hearing on a proposal to sell three 30,000-square-foot house lots with road frontage from the Town Farm to raise an estimated $500,000 for capital expenditures while preserving the remaining land for open space or town and school needs.
Prior to Monday's public hearing, Marshall described that proposal as "a good use … not necessarily the final use."
Throughout the process, Marshall has stated one of his goals was to see a plan for the Town Farm that would satisfy the abutting residents on Ferncroft and Long Sands roads, as proposals in recent years ranging from recreation uses to public safety to affordable housing have been met with opposition from the neighborhood. In keeping most of the land open, but selling three house lots, the idea was to create a use that was in keeping with the neighborhood.
However, Marshall said, with the addition of the Jellison property, he became equally interested in the idea of a parcel of interconnected lands open for town use with frontage on Ferncroft and Long Sands.
"We now have an ability … to set up a trail system that would actually get us all the way from the high school to the CMP frontage on Long Sands Road," he said, noting that portions of the land could be used for environmental protection, open space, fields or parking for the high school.
The York Public Library Community Meeting Room was packed for the public hearing, and about a dozen people spoke on such issues as the sentimental and historical value of the Town Farm property itself, the asset of having open space in the center of York Village and the importance of the York Community Gardens.
"Selling the community gardens is like sticking a poker in your eye," said Helen Rollins Lord.
Peter O'Connor focused on the importance of undeveloped land.
"Each foundation, each footing, is going to disturb something that's very delicate down there," he said, referring to the flooding last spring in York Beach. "… Open space is open space, lot by lot, square foot by square foot. Each one, incrementally, serves us all well."
Charles Stacy agreed, adding the land also has a lot of sentimental value to many people in town.
"Everybody loves the town of York. It's multi-faceted … it's not just the ocean … it's the whole package," said Rick Boston, adding that if the town loses enough of those assets, it will change forever. "It is both the time and the responsibility of our generation … to set aside the Town Farm property for future generations to enjoy."
Former Selectman Michael Palumbo also addressed the board.
"It is my strong belief that we do not sell any part of this historic Town Farm. I also believe this land is very significant for our town's future quality of life," he said, adding he supports an historic designation for the remaining land of the original Town Farm. "… We have a fantastic opportunity to affect the future of our children's life in a positive way by keeping this land as it is. … Please, please, leave this as town-owned open space, a welcome oasis."
Ron Nowell, who is also a former selectman, shared the history of the parcel and its creation as a "poor farm" in the 1800s, as well as information on the paupers' graves located there, and shared an endorsement from Calvin Hosmer, Jr., of the Old York Historical Society Board of Trustees in support of designating the area as an historical site.
"It is the only Town Farm property that we know of still in the hands of a municipality … in the state of Maine," Nowell said, adding that while Old York Historical Society has never taken a stand on an issue like this before, it has recognized the historic significance of the parcel to York's history and growth in the 19th and 20th century.
Wendy Starkey added some humor to the evening when she told the selectmen, "When Helen (Rollins Lord) and Ronnie (Nowell) and I agree on something, we have to look at all sides of it," as the three have had very different opinions on issues in the past.
"The Town Farm's probably got more history than anything there is, other than the Old Gaol," Arthur Berger said, adding, "to sell it for peanuts, what you can get for it, is ridiculous. Where else are we going to have any open land?"
Linda Scotland urged the board to keep the entire parcel, including the lands donated by Jellison, as open space.
"We have to be very careful thinking about the use of this land in the future," she said.
While no one spoke in favor of selling the land at the meeting, the selectmen shared a letter received from a resident who supported the idea of using the sale of three house lots to offset taxes.
Following the hearing, the board agreed that now is not the time to sell the property, making a motion with conditions recommended by Selectmen Mike Estes and Len Dorrian.
"No one has really taken to this land ... as a caretaker … If you guys are willing to do that, I'm willing to hold off a vote on what we do with the property," Estes said.
Dorrian proposed removing the parcel from consideration for sale and instead forming a citizen's committee to explore the best use.
Regardless of the plan for the 2.5-acre parcel, Marshall said he is "excited that we've got this contiguous piece of land stretching between the roads," adding he has been discussing the land with the York Land Trust and, while a sale of a portion of the land could have helped offset the cost of such needs as a new municipal complex, keeping the contiguous parcel could prove to help the environment.
"You have to weigh the whole town, and you try to do decisions that impact the most people in the most positive way," said Vice Chairman Dwight Bardwell, and while the plan to sell a couple of the acres made sense logically, "there's the other side of it … sort of the 'heart' side of this. … What would my father and what would my grandfather think if I was on a board that sold the Town Farm land that was still remaining? … This is an historic piece of land … there is a history there that can be preserved."
Both Marshall and Bardwell said they would like a final conclusion out of this process to alleviate the yo-yo effect for the neighbors as new proposals have come forward time and again.
Bardwell suggested letting the historic designation effort run its course while using the portion where the gardens exist as a public park.
Town Planner Steve Burns pointed to grant availability for archaeological research and suggested reviewing how an historic designation would fit with such uses as passive recreation or a public park.
"There are ways of making things final," said Selectman Torbert Macdonald, Jr., "and I think Steve's pointed out you've got to get the compatibility of park and historical site together."
For the next step, Macdonald said, he has no doubt the "Friends of the Town Farm" will self-organize and the answers will be forthcoming.
