The following letter was published by the Carroll County Independent on October 20. The writer is a co-founder and former president of Long Sands Association.
To the Editor:
Being a property owner on Ossipee Lake since the 1950s, and therefore a property taxpayer to the Town of Ossipee, I am appalled and embarrassed by the constant “Almighty Attitude” of the Ossipee Planning Board.
It is not a question of how one feels towards the Westward Shores Campground and Marina expansion, it is a matter of obtaining all the facts so that a final decision is the right one for all and not just money and vengeance against the waterfront property owners. What is best for all is to listen to all, and learn from each other and acquire knowledge about all things of which you are totally lacking knowledge.
This statement was made by Planning Board member Dennis Legendre: “I was elected by the people of Ossipee; I am supposed to look out for their interest and their interest supersedes anything.”
It would not seem that he is looking out for the interest of Ossipee. The quality of the lake affects all of Ossipee Lake including its bays and rivers due to taxes based on property value. The lake quality goes down, the property values go down. Other towns including Freedom and Effingham also have a concern.
“Our concern about this project is the potential impact it may have on water quality,” a letter from the Freedom Planning Board states. “We have this concern because the entire project is in the 100-year flood plain. As a downstream town, the impact from a flood could be significant.”
Anne Cunningham asked the Ossipee Board for more time to study a newly submitted independent technical review of the expansion by Jones & Beach, an engineering firm that has been evaluating the plan for the Ossipee Board, and revised plans were submitted that evening without an opportunity for Ossipee and others to review. The Ossipee Planning Board denied her request, refusing to hear anything more about community impact.
I was disappointed! Why wouldn’t the Ossipee Planning Board be willing to listen to anyone when it would be in their best interest to learn? It is because they are deaf, dumb and blind to anything that might differ from their fixed stubborn arrogance and, as a former selectwoman put it, she was embarrassed by the rudeness of the board. Who isn’t?
They don’t want the residents to listen to anyone else so they shut out any information that might reflect a bad light on their thinking. The Freedom Planning Board without a doubt has shown more knowledge of how this expansion could have a negative impact and is searching for the best ways to deal with it rather than “We know what is best for Ossipee.” What is best for Ossipee is to listen. Listen.
Do not be blind and deaf. Open your eyes and ears to all aspects of this expansion. Listen and learn from those more knowledgeable then yourselves, otherwise you’re too dumb to serve the town.
I was disappointed in the statement by Freedom selectmen, “We are not trying to dictate what the Ossipee Board does.” I wish they would, since their Planning Board members seem to know more about the Ossipee Flood Plain Ordinance than the Ossipee officials.
George W. Eisener
Center Ossipee
If the window for reviewed has closed at the town level, and concerns are that of surrounding neighbors and downstream property owners and towns, and based on facts and figures, not feelings and worry, the next reasonable step to take should be the courts.
Having great concern and experience of flooding on Ossipee Lake since the mid 1970’s, I too have reservations about this project, this process and what seems to be unreasonable response by Ossipee.
Otherwise, lessons have been learned the hard way in making ones
position available in the time frame allotted.