The heads of Freedom’s Planning Board and Conservation Commission have issued joint letters to Ossipee and DES officials opposing the proposed expansion of the campground as a “significant” risk to the water quality of the lake and bays. This week’s Ossipee Planning Board meeting to consider the town-commissioned independent engineering report on the expansion plan has been postponed for two weeks.
NEWS
Westward Shores Expansion Talks Continued to August
Planning Board wants time to absorb the outside engineering report, which contains 46 numbered points of concern, including the fact that the expansion is on the floodplain. Several lake residents express concerns about flooding and evacuation plans. Planning Board member Rick St. Jean accuses them and conservation groups of “fear-mongering.”
Alliance Asks Ossipee to Require More Flood Data Before Ruling on Westward Shores
The lake organization says inconsistent and inaccurate statements by the owner have clouded the flooding issue. It wants town officials to publicly establish the level at which flooding occurs at the campground, marina and peninsula, and require an accounting of how often the business has been evacuated in past years due to high water.
Ossipee Lake Flooding is a Real Problem, Not “Overblown”
The campground’s cavalier treatment of the facts about flooding on Ossipee Lake should have officials on high alert.
Region Residents Express Concerns About Westward Shores Expansion
On July 5 people from across the region got to weigh in on the application at a planning board hearing that attracted about 65 people. There were comments about the impact the expansion could have on the lake water quality, economic impact, and safety, but the focus was mainly on the expansion onto the peninsula. That expansion includes just 15 of the proposed 246 new sites. The campground, located off Route 16 on Newman Drew Road in West Ossipee currently has 258 sites.