Government Spotlight

Board selects seven Town-owned properties to investigate for possible sale

The Morse Road pit, one of the parcels on the possible sell list, shows signs of recent plowing and target practice

| Joanne Cole |

A special Select Board meeting about Town-owned properties on Monday turned out to be part information-gathering, part geography lesson and part next steps. Sixteen parcels were on the table for discussion about whether to retain or consider selling them. A list, maps and tax information were in the agenda packet.

By meeting’s end, the board had decided to gather additional information on seven properties, a next step toward possible sale. Eight others were pulled off the for-sale pile because of their current use or potential value to the Town. One property was set aside because a transaction is already in the works.

At the outset, Chair Dustin Ward noted that the board’s looking at the properties “didn’t mean they were up for being sold. It just meant we wanted to look at what we had and make an assessment there.” Several residents offered observations and information about particular parcels and asked questions.

The board will investigate # 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 further for possible sale

For some of the properties, immediate practical considerations were the focus: Is there access? What’s the zoning and is the land developable? Are there existing restrictions or uses on it?

For others, value for conservation and recreation were considerations. Residents Terry DeWan and Mark Power, Royal River Conservation Trust board members, addressed that point. Power said that RRCT would be interested in parcels that meet its conservation criteria and might also fit well with New Gloucester’s Comprehensive Plan. He asked that RRCT be kept in mind and “have a seat at the table,” given its work as a “good partner in town.”  

DeWan noted that the three parcels on Wharf Road (# 9, 10, 11) total 160 acres, and 30 of those are adjacent to a designated “forever farm” and so are of special interest for long-term conservation. (Wharf Road branches east off Woodman Road.) Earlier, member Peter Bragdon had wondered whether the Wharf Road properties should be retained for possible recreation. The Board put them on the possible sale pile.

Residents Mark Power (l.) and Terry DeWan express potential interest on behalf of Royal River Conservation Trust

Resident Doug Smith, a member of the Environmental Resources Committee, drew particular attention to preserving properties that touch the Royal River or could support existing uses, like two parcels on Bald Hill Road across from the Fairgrounds, 7 and 15 on the list. Smith said the ERC is willing to do “some footwork” to look more closely into any of the parcels.

The board heard clarification from resident Linda Chase about parcels 12 and 13, a combined 65 acres along the Maine Turnpike designated as the Town Forest. A right-of-way in Auburn provides access, Chase said; the property was acquired via a land swap with the Turnpike. Bragdon thought there might be features of significance—possibly a type of maple or a sinkhole?—that could mean restrictions. The board will investigate. On to the possible sale pile the Town Forest parcels went.

Landing in the possible sale column was the Town’s former gravel pit on Morse Road, #3 on the list. Apparently a popular spot for target practice and the source of noise complaints that have reached the manager and board, the 40-acre parcel abuts Pineland. It has an assessed value of $400,000, according to town records. Public Works Director Ted Shane confirmed that the pit is spent, Vice Chair Stephen Hathorne reminded his colleagues. He urged selling it. “We could pay a lot of bills with a piece of property that we have absolutely no use for.”

Member Tammy Donovan cautioned that she’d heard of past dumping on the pit property. Member Colleen Strickler and Chair Dustin Ward were in favor of investigating further and leaned toward selling. Bragdon wondered about zoning and minimum lots sizes there. What if the town sells it for $200,000 and 10 homes are built and 10 kids are added to the schools, he asked, suggesting that would negate any gain from the sale and a return to the tax rolls. “I just want make sure we’re selling it wisely so it doesn’t become a burden in the future for a little bit of money that we’re getting,” Bragdon said.

The to-be-retained list includes these parcels:

  • #1 – 25 acres on Lewiston Road 25 at Map 3 Lot 82 (not far from the Bennett Roads). Brandy Brook winds through the parcel, Tammy Donovan noted, and wanted to clarify whether the brook has protected status affecting its potential development. Arguing for retaining it, Bragdon called the Lewiston Road parcel “a pretty prime piece of property.”
  • #2 – 10 acres on Morse Road along the Royal River (Map 4 Lot 6). A well there has excellent water pressure and is a valuable water source, Tammy Donovan said. Member Colleen Strickler wanted to know whether Fire Rescue uses it. Later, former Select Board member Linda Chase said the well there puts out more water than the Water District in the Upper Village. “You might need it at that end of town.” The board will investigate the well and water.
  • #4 – a half-acre sliver at Map 6 Lot 29 on Swamp Road across which the board gave snowmobile trail access within the last few years.
  • #5 – a half-acre+ of the former Interurban off Gloucester Hill Road at Map 7 Lot 102-C. Resident Field Rider told the board that he believes he owns the parcel and had shared his deed, title research and legal documentation with prior Town Manager Christine Landes. After review, Landes agreed with him, Rider said, but the then Select Board declined to follow her recommendation. The current board directed Manager Bill Kerbin to restart the conversation with Rider.
  • #14 – a half-acre on Grange Hall Road (Map 17 Lot 34), formerly a segment of the Interurban that voters formally accepted at Town Meeting in 2021 for possible public trail connectivity.
  • # 7 and 15 – 5.27 acres on Bald Hill Road across from the Fairgrounds (Map 10 Lots 31 and 30-1). The property is the site of a former town dump and possible contamination, so the board has previously been reluctant to allow new uses there.  

As the January 27 meeting wound down and the board considered wording for an appropriate motion, they clarified that they are not committing to sell any properties at this time, just the next step: further research on the seven parcels. More to come.

Watch video of the January 27, 2025, Select Board special meeting at this link. Find contact information for Select Board members and links to meeting agendas, minutes and related documents at this link.