DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — The Piscataquis County commissioners voted Tuesday to move forward with discontinuing Campground Road in Elliotsville Township.
The road was the same one that drew fire from Elliotsville Township residents last year when philanthropist Roxanne Quimby erected a gate on the road to prevent motorized vehicle access. The gate was vandalized in November. It was discovered in February that the road was still county-owned.
In a 2-1 vote, the commissioners took the first step in transferring ownership of the road to Elliotsville Plantation Inc., the entity owned by Quimby.
The dirt road stretches 0.77 miles from Elliotsville Road to Little Wilson Falls.
Mark Leathers, project manager for James W. Sewall Co. of Old Town, which represents Elliotsville Plantation Inc., has proposed a solution for the concerns of Quimby as the landowner and the residents of Elliotsville.
Leathers said Elliotsville Plantation Inc. wants to reinstall a gate on the road and plans to donate a half-acre of land on which the county could construct a parking lot. The road and trails would be converted to a public recreational easement. Leathers said that would also give the county an opportunity to improve the 1.1-mile hiking trail from lower Little Wilson Falls to upper Little Wilson Falls, which is the second-highest waterfall in the state.
“We’d put up signage there to make it more visible, create a parking lot with funds from the Department of the Interior given to the county, the gate would return, but there would be access around the gate for hikers, mountain bikers, wheelchairs, canoe carriers, just not for motorized vehicles,” said Tom Lizotte, chairman of the commissioners. “[Having motorized vehicles on the road is] just not the wish of the landowner, and that’s private property. And we don’t have to maintain the road.”
The Department of the Interior gives the county a payment in lieu of taxes of $12,000 per year for the Appalachian Trail, for which the county doesn’t receive tax money.
Commissioner Eric Ward, who represents Elliotsville as part of the first district, voted against the motion to form and sign an order of discontinuance of the road. He also opposed another motion to file the order and send the abutting property owner a letter of the action without delay. Quimby is the only abutting owner to that road, said Lizotte.
Brian Wentzell, Maine policy director for the Appalachian Mountain Club, said he supported the proposal and added that the club would aid the county in improving the trail from the lower falls to the upper falls.
Four members of the audience voiced their opposition to closing the road to motorized vehicles.
“What I don’t think the county commissioners are comprehending, what the Appalachian [Mountain Club] isn’t comprehending, what Mr. Leathers isn’t comprehending is the will of the people of Elliotsville,” said Clowes Brown, who said he has been a resident of the township for more than 40 years. “You’re taking that away from, not just the elderly, you’re taking that away from people who don’t want to walk in there. There are people in the world who do not want to do these things.”
Lizotte said some sort of compromise had to be made.
“How do you come up with a resolution of two diametrically opposite intentions? What you have to come up with is a compromise. Neither the people in Elliotsville [nor the] landowner … want to compromise. It’s up to the county commissioners to come up with a compromise,” said Lizotte. “What Mark Leathers has sketched out for you is a classic compromise.
“Now, hikers and motorized vehicles — I see that as incompatible uses in those areas. You can’t have both in the same area, and that’s what we’re talking about,” said Lizotte.
Carol “Sandy” Kelly, who owns land beyond the end of Campground Road with her husband, Scott, said many older people are unable to walk the road to get to the falls. She added that families with children may also find it difficult.
“It’s a long walk for people of a certain age,” said Kelly. “The families I saw [at the falls were] with their children. I think it would be a bit of an issue to close [the road] off at the beginning.”
Among the frequent problems at the former campground area, said Leathers, were people illegally camping and starting fires on the private property. Elliotsville Plantation Inc.’s proposal would cut down on that, he said.
Once the proposed plan is in place, the commissioners will vote again during their next meeting, on Aug. 28, to make the discontinuance official.
Quimby: I put a gate up to keep vehicles off my land.
Town: you can’t do that because that is a town road and people own land behind you and need access.
Quimby: I’ll just buy the road from you–problem solved.
Why not just move the gate closer to the falls?
Why is it whenever they have a story about Roxanne they always have “related stories” with pictures of Stephen King?
Because they are the same person.
I feel sorry for those people who come to see the falls and are not healthy enough to walk that far. Sad to lose another great view of Maine the way it should be, now we have Maine the way Roxanne says it should be :(
The great majestic forests of Maine were pretty much destroyed by human greed around the turn of the 20th century. What we have now is a butchered remnant of what God placed here for us to use.
It’s time for us to be humble and work toward being good shepherds of God’s gift, instead of being so selfish.
Should we be substituting “Roxanne” for “God”? After all, she knows what’s best for Maine!
I have a camp in Western Maine that has been in my family since the mid 50’s. The land around it looks the same now, as it did when I was a child in the 70’s. As does my journey to the camp. And if you are calling Numb nuts Quimby, God, you are a twisted sort.
That’s right , I’m with you on this …..no gate !
blah blah blah blah
maybe we should construct an elevator on Katahdin….
no need to gate that road.
When you’ve got money you get your way!!
(cough) OJ Simpson (cough)
That’s bull. The county gives her the road and she clears a parking lot so people can now walk instead of drive. Makes a lot of sense Piscatiquis. Sounds like backroom dealings.
And the commisioners all get a lifetime supply of lip balm.
Where in the article did you get the impression Quimby was constructing any parking lot? It read the COUNTY can do this in the Devils little half acre. What do you suppose that will cost and cost to maintain. Once the County owns it they are just going to own another liability.
You’re right I misread it. Guess she isn’t even doing that. She just loves to take and restrict Maine land. Wish she’d fall in love with another State before ours becomes completely inaccessible.
So they give up the road, and gain a parking lot. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the cost to maintain a parling lot is somewhat less than the cost to maintain a road.
Agenda 21: read it, remember it.
roxanne go to mexico
Roxanne……..Go to……’HELL-O!!!!!
Commisioners of the board you should BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES! Did Roxy sweeten your bank accounts for you? Or did that lump of DILL(use your imagination) from Roxie’s backside, sitting in the House promise you something from Augusta?
you want a 80 year old to walk to the falls. roxanne should be made to walk to her land from Kittery. the forestery should make a trip in there each night.
I would love to hear something that Tom Lizotte has done that was good, or that he has listened to the general public in this county.
Don’t hold your breath.
Motorized vehicles and hiking do not mix , really. Then what are we to do with all the A.T. hikers that walk the Elliotsville road when they want to take a shortcut? Maybe Rt 15 will need to be shut down as well because of the hiker/motor vehicle traffic!
Don’t forget up around Mt. Blue state park there’s a whole system of trails in that area with hikers and atv’s and vehicles out and about all the time. I’ve seen it, they must be at each others throats because apparently they can’t share.
You just gotta love it!
Quimby excercises her free market capitalism rights, earns a ton of money , buys up a ton of land in Maine and blocks it off to others under her Property rights–
and people call her a liberal!
They are ticked off because she wont share it and they call her a socialist!
Unbelievable!
I think people are ticked because she bought land and just assumed she owned the road which belonged to the county. Any selfish individual would think the same way !
no, because this land is not hers, and the county comm. are giving her a free ride. It is the peoples access, not hers.
Quimby must have go$$on to these people. Why are they so stressed about private property rights now, when normaly they are againt the rights of private property owners. total axcess is needed.
Try building a deck on your camp in unorgainized land. 99% of the time you would be denied
That is complete bullcrap.
lets just give her a pass for the whole state what the heck she will kick out everyone soon and we can all go to mass and sing cume bye ya.
hiking and motorized vehicles incompatible? I have never been offended by hikers in my motorized vehicle. Have they been offended by me? So who is it again that is unwilling to compromise?
How bout you build two smaller parking lots one close by the falls for those that dont want to walk 1.5 miles and another out where Quimby wants a gate for those that want to walk in. You could call it the Quimby Memorial Parking Lot.
Eric Ward, we thank you for voting against this travesty. Good for you! Now, let’s start looking for good candidates for the other two seats on the Piscataquis County Commission. Time to replace these greenies.
Quimby should never have been handed over this road. When are you people going to wake up to what’s she’s all about.
What are the county comm. thinking about? Succumbing to big money interest.
Not surprising the ATCis in co-hoots with her I think. So why wouldn’t they be for it. Big deal construct a parking lot, another liberal cause.
NOOOOOO!!!!!! Stop it, what are you doing and why? What did it take for you to sell out?????
Giving away the land access owned by the town’s citizens (isn’t the town the people of the town?) to Quimby is ridiculous. Obviously, since she did not own the road, she had no right to put up the gate. Perhaps it is Quimby who should provide a buffer along the road to the town’s people. Roxanne does not own the road and should NOT own the road. Giving it to her will only feed her greed to rule over the land her way!
The depopulation of rural Maine continues as the county commissioners lay down before the great environmental industry.
“Among the frequent problems at the former campground area, said Leathers, were people illegally camping and starting fires on the private property. Elliotsville Plantation Inc.’s proposal would cut down on that, he said.”
So is there going to be “any” legalized camping on Qumiby land??
Earthling3 as a matter of fact we do, we rent a log cabin on our back 40,,, I was refering to how the NMW has access to it holdings where “legalized” camping is allowed, with a fee charged of course, BUT you can drive there,, does Roxy allow camping at all ?? I’d like to go in that area hiking for a few days just to see what is so great about it ?
Is there any legalized camping on your land?
Oh yes give the woman what she wants and to blank with the other people that use that road. Rich get richer and to hell with the poor or middle class. she needs to go back to mass and try this there. oh but they wont put up with her. Stand up for your rights. Don’t let her tell you that you can not drive on a road.
it is not who you know it is who you blow. she must be good at something
I know that there will be a lot of people that don’t agree and that will be mad, but here goes…..I don’t agree like what Roxanne is doing, but what she is doing, she is doing it the right way. She wants to see parts of Maine preserved for future generations, so, she is buying the land! Once she owns the land, she has the right to decide what to do with it. I am tired of those that want to be able to use any land, at any time, without investing a dime into it. If you want to determine what is done with the land or how it is used or not used, reach into your pocket, pull out the money and buy it!
I see what you are saying here, but what Roxanne is doing is buying land and restricting the use of it. Thus….all the gates. What makes anyone think that she wants to preserve the land for future generations when she’s blocking everyone from the land now? What harm has been done to this place that has been being visited for years by individuals? If this continues, and she keeps being allowed to buy and keep families from the land, we wont need the trees…we’ll need juvi jails.
Hasnt Roxanne chained off enough of Maine with out our county commisioners helping her ?
This road has been public domain forever and “she ” wants to change it . while it is only .77 of a mile long, it certainly has not been a burden to this county ( one load of gravel in 30 years) and has provided endless hours of recreation to many thousands of people.
That added drivability has ensured or helped many people reach parts of the Appalachian trail as well as a Natural wilderness area. than many would never see if “another part of the State was chained off.” It certainly has provided easier access to Wilson Falls ( both sets) to people with limited physical abilities
I would question the commissioners right to give, no sell, a right of way owned by the people. I know towns have to vote on closure of a road. There is a procedure that must be followed to the letter of the law to legally close a road or right of way. Just because the commissioners say so doesn’t make it so. This whole deal smells to high Heaven.
Only in towns that have local government. Elliotsville is a plantation – no local government. How many resident landowners are there in Eliotsville? Who would vote? This devolves to the county commissioners because there is no one there at the local level.
It might have gone to LURC if it came up a year ago, as a change of use or something requiring a permit and providing the opportunity for public comment and review. But the Governor and his pals got rid of LURC, so now you’re stuck with this. And this is only the beginning.
“It’s a long walk for people of a certain age,” said Kelly.
Lucky for me my age is approximate.
I really really really do not understand why people keep selling her land!!!!!!!!!!
Walking is good for you.
Lets Just give her everything that she wants!! Bunch of DUMMIES!!
did anyone hear the boo’s at the east west corridor meeting at foxcroft academy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMJ2qTDwFNo)? i wonder if it bothers roxanne that the left and right unite in their dislike for quimby?