DEXTER, Maine — The Legislature’s decision to fund a $300,000 feasibility study last year to examine the economic viability of a 220-mile privately financed route running from Calais to Coburn Core has sparked a debate about the Piscataquis Valley’s future.
Some, like Cianbro Corp. CEO Peter Vigue, believe the project is the spark to revitalize the state’s economy by making it a focal point in the global economy.
The proponents also believe the corridor would allow for more economical and efficient transportation of goods from Maine, Canada and Europe to U.S. distribution points in the Midwest.
Opponents fear that the proposal would be an economic and environmental boondoggle from which the Dover-Foxcroft area would never recover.
At a July 14 forum, the detractors expressed their concerns to local political candidates about how the highway’s construction would destroy the peaceful lifestyle of rural Maine, ruin the state’s natural resources and profit mostly foreign-based corporations. The opponents also believe the proponents’ ultimate intent is to create a corridor for transporting electricity, natural gas and telecommunications through the state.
The Dexter-Dover Area Towns in Transition sponsored the forum at the Ridge View Community School so residents could personally address those seeking public office with their concerns about the project. The forum drew 175 people, who were near unanimous in their opposition to the project.
The forum’s panel consisted of Rep. Herb Clark, D-Millinocket, Rep. Kenneth Fredette, R-Newport, state Senate candidate Sherman Leighton, D-Dexter, state House candidates Dusty Dowse, D-Cambridge, Fred Austin, D-Newport, and Dave Pearson, D-Dexter, and Piscataquis County commissioner candidates Sue Mackey-Andrews, D-Dover-Foxcroft, and Jim Annis, R-Dover-Foxcroft.
The panel, like the audience, mostly had concerns with how Vigue has provided limited information about the plans for constructing the privately financed highway. Vigue has indicated the route would run south of Dover-Foxcroft and north of Dexter, but the detractors want to know which property owners are in the highway’s path.
East-west highway opponents have accused Vigue of not being forthcoming with information about the highway’s route, who the investors are, and the possibility of using the passageway as a corridor to allow mining for gold, pipelines for transporting natural gas and tar sands and the transmission of electricity and telecommunications. Several of the candidates sided with opponents, indicating they also were uncomfortable with the limited available information.
Clark promised the audience he would work to repeal the feasibility study funding if he were elected to the Senate. He complained the legislative process that authorized the feasibility study was tarnished.
He said the bill had a limited amount of debate and “was passed quicker than any other piece of legislation” he’s seen in his 24-year legislative career.
The feasibility study was passed by a 110-24 margin in the House of Representatives. Clark and Sen. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, were co-sponsors of the bill. When Thomas mentioned at the May 31 Foxcroft Academy forum that Clark had not only voted for it but was one of nine others, including himself , who co-sponsored the bill, the Millinocket representative explained to the Dexter audience that he felt like he was being “used” to promote the highway.
“I voted in favor of the feasibility study and nothing else,” Clark said. “They came to me [and] asked for my support. They said, ‘We helped you with Penobscot Valley paper mills and now its time for help [to] provide some jobs for Piscataquis County.’ The Republicans had the votes and it was going to pass anyway. Whether you like it or not, it’s this type of thing why it’s so important for the Democrats to regain control of the Legislature.”
Fredette and Clark were the only current legislators who attended the Dexter forum. Both voted in favor of the feasibility study. Fredette believed the feasibility study was an important step to promote economic growth in Maine. He recounted how his parents and four brothers were forced to leave Danforth in 1980 due to the lack of work. He remained in Maine to complete his senior year in high school.
“I stayed because I love Maine. I’m a small businessman. I’m raising a family in Newport,” he said. “I know what it’s like out there. I’m afraid my two children may not be able to afford to stay in Maine. There are no jobs. This is why I ran for the Legislature.”
Fredette also expressed his confidence in Vigue. He said he believed that the Cianbro chairman had no stake in the proposal and, at 65 years old, Vigue was involved as a way to improve the state’s economy.
The panel also consisted of two members of the Stop the East-West Corridor group, Chris Buchanan and Hillary Lister. Buchanan challenged the premise that Cianbro didn’t have a stake in the project. She indicated that the company didn’t build roads, but it did construct bridges. She said she believed that several Cianbro business partners would benefit from the corridor establishing a pathway for pipelines and utility transmission lines.
As Sangerville’s town manager, Dave Pearson understands the concerns of those fearing the impact of the east-west highway running through their community. He expressed concern that the construction would create a noise problem for residents adjacent to highway. He also had concerns about not knowing the answers to three questions about the proposal.
Pearson wanted to know who the investors would be, what their financing mechanism is and what the route will be.
“I think these are three fundamental questions that should have been answered before the feasibility study was passed,” Pearson said.
The state Department of Transportation expects the feasibility study to be completed next spring. The DOT then would decide whether to proceed with the east-west highway project. If the proposal moves forward, the agency would solicit bids and choose a viable investors group to construct the proposed highway.
The investors would need to receive permits from the various municipal planning boards
to build the highway and any other commercial ventures running along the route.
$300,000 seems like a large sum of money for a “paper and pencil” study. I do not recall seeing a breakdown of the study specifics, only that it would be completed by years end. That translates to a large “$/month” cost for a soft study. It is not uncommon to see funding of this magnitude for some company that is moving into the next phase of development of some product or process. In earlier reporting, it was explained that the study will not determine the final route. If the results of the study yield only information on feasibility and identify several potential corridors/route locations, it seems that paying $300k is over the top. Most of the information that would be used to prepare a feasibility study and/or route identification already exists in government and planning agency holdings. Most of this work can be conducted by $50/hr consultants over a 3 month span. Unless the deliverables are much more tangible and actionable for this study, $50k is a more likely figure for an investigation at this early stage.
“Opponents fear that the proposal would be an economic and environmental boondoggle from which the Dover-Foxcroft area would never recover”. Sorry to bring you all in Dover-Foxcroft into reality, but you are already in such a depressed economic and financial condition to which, if you do not get behind such change and progress, you are destined to be in for the next 200 years. The only thing I can see any benefit from in going to go to your fair town is to buy an ice cream. Time to wake up folks!
That is the stark truth. D-F is an economic basket case now. Welfare and retirees are the predominant industries driving the community today (excluding meth and booze).
As reported in the article at the link below, the $300,000 study to be done for the MDOT (Maine Department of Transportation) is to determine only the “economics” of the proposed highway, estimated traffic and revenue. It won’t determine a route, nor will it address any of the impacts of the highway.
As of a couple weeks ago, the MDOT had had only one inadequate response to its RFP (request for proposal) for bids for the study. They were going to refine the RFP and go back out to ask for more bids
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/07/16/news/augusta/east-west-highway-feasibility-study-wont-determine-route-maine-official-says/
Hi Blyvyl..nice to see you here and thanks for this good link and pertinent point. I recently made a request to MDOT Constituent Liaison Nina Fisher and to Nathan Howard who is heading up the feasibility study for MDOT to obtain a copy of the failed first RFP and also to obtain a copy of the technical proposal from the one bidder whose bid was deemed non responsive.
As a recognized expert in contract risk management this turn of events..one bidder for a list of pre qualified bidders submitting a bid deemed “non-responsive”..is mystifying . I think we might all learn a great deal if we had a look at that failed RFP and at that technical proposal received.
So far I am getting the usual evasive back ad forth but with perseverence Iope to sceure release of bot these documents and have requested that both be posted at te MDOT website so we can all see them.
If Representative Clark and the others want to do something helpful..perhaps they could write to MDOT and request that as well.
You are right that MDOT is currently revising the failed RFP and has said publicly they do not now expect to have the study finished by the January deadline.
“I voted in favor of the feasibility study and nothing else,” Clark
said. “They came to me [and] asked for my support. They said, ‘We helped
you with Penobscot Valley paper mills and now its time for help [to]
provide some jobs for Piscataquis County.’ The Republicans had the votes
and it was going to pass anyway. Whether you like it or not, it’s this
type of thing why it’s so important for the Democrats to regain control
of the Legislature.”
And there you have it..this is what I mean when I refer to the “culture of the legislature” and that is not going to change if the balance of power shifts to democrats in fall or if it becomes more even
I get answers like this from both sides of the house when I ask people why they voted against what they say they believe in and support on an actual basis. And like Clark, they all seem to think there is no problem with being the right side of an issue when it comes to accountability to their constituents..or to the people of Maine ad consistently voting in a different direction.
Let Clark and all the others who voted for the feasibility study and who worse yet voted for the secret highway privatization bill that Vigue and the asphalt lobby wrote for themselves in 2010 under which this roadway will eventually be built ( unless MDOT some how is on the side of the angels) that what counts is actual votes..and tat oerformance will be measured by actual votes.
And by the way, Mr. Clark, just exactly what did the votes you traded actually deliver to the people of Millinocket? Have they actually gotten one replaced job yet out all the bails outs the State has funded to benefit greedy corporations? What exactly has happened that is good for Penobscot Valley communities who have lost paper mills and the direct and indirect jobs from that loss?
I have asked this question several times in regards to this east-west highway proposal and here it is again. I’ve had not a single answer.
Who makes the final decision of whether this highway is approved or not? Is it the people/voters of Maine or the politicians?
Who?
WPOND,
A key question ..one foremost in my mind as well. How could we not know that..after all this hullaballoo on the highway..why hasn’t MDOT come forward and at least answered that for us.?
I think it is possible they themselves dont know the answer to that and that that is part of what is being addressed in the feasibility study. That’s why I am asking Nina Fisher and Nathan Howard (who is in charge of the study) to release the failed RFP for us to see and also to release the technical proposal for the one bid received and deemed non-responsive by MDOT .
But you are square on..we shouldn’t have to guess and read between the lines..we should at least know as citizens what the possible path is for this “totally private” road as Vigue consistently refers to it.
In an exchange with Nathan Howard putting that question to him he did finally concede that that it could ocurr under the highway privatization statute private ( Title 23 Section 4251) that Cianbro and the asphalt lobby wrote for themselves and got secretly passed in 2010 with no public comment and no public notice or hearings.
My reading of applicable existing state law in a broader sense is that the State of Maine never contemplated the possibility of several large landholders getting together to facilitate a totally private 4 lane tollway . I applaud the one local community I just read about who are passing a local moratorium forbidding such a use, Every northern community should do the same thing.. It their only protection for their own communities.
But 80% of the path from Calais to Coburn Gore could ocurr on the holdings of Kennebec West Forest LLC and Plum Creek alone (along with the Echo Easeement Corridor LLC who own the 60+ mile 2000′ corridor on which the stud mill rd sits and to which Vigue frequently has referred.and under LURC whose existing regulations on roads clearly never contemplated anything of this magnitude/ So for 80% of any route we simply have a huge legislative gap. If they can acquire private control of the other 20% there may simply be no way to stop it under the existing regulatory framework. The only place the state would have any influence at all would be on the environmental permitting and on those areas where there is interface ( eg cross over) of public assets..and existing roads.
If its not going to be paid for by taxpayers why are we paying for the study? Think about it.
Opponents fear that the proposal would be an economic and environmental boondoggle from which the Dover-Foxcroft area would never recover.
D-F is already in the grips of an economic depression for which there is nearly zero hope at the moment.