Carroll County Independent editorial ponders Ossipee officials’ public opposition to land use planning and land conservation, reminding readers that clean lakes and open spaces are among the reasons people are attracted to our state.
NEWS
Ossipee Selectmen Request Information from Freedom on Lawsuit
Freedom passed the hat for money to pay for its lawsuit in the Westward Shores matter. Ossipee wants to know who chipped in.
Westward Shores Rehearing Denied
After last week’s lengthy court-ordered public hearing, the Ossipee Zoning Board denied Freedom’s request to reconsider the planning board’s approval of the expansion of Westward Shores campground. But now Effingham is calling for that hearing to be reheld. Meanwhile, Freedom is consulting its lawyer on what to do next.
Professor Calls Location of West Ossipee Gas Station “Reckless”
In advance of Tuesday’s Ossipee Planning Board hearing, Dr. Robert Newton says near-by wells for homes and businesses are threatened because of the development’s proximity to a recharge area of the Ossipee Aquifer. He says gas stations are major sources of groundwater contamination even when when they employ new “triple containment” tanks. Smith is familiar with the Ossipee Lake area from his work mapping the glacial geology of the Ossipee Ring Dike.
The Law and Common Sense at Westward Shores
Consider this: If Westward Shores were undeveloped floodplain land and a new owner came to town with a plan to build a major business there, consisting of 519 sites for camping vehicles served by septic systems and ancillary buildings, would anyone think that was a reasonable idea and good for the lake? Even if a way could be found to make it legal? Sometimes a little common sense needs to temper legal issues.