Maine Islands Coalition Minutes May 7, 2004

Present:
Roger Berle, Chairman - Cliff Island
Marjorie Phyfe - Peaks Island
Mark Greene - Town of Long Island
Nan Stockman - Great Diamond Island
Mark Tierney - Little Diamond Island
Grayson Hartley - Islesboro
David Jermann - North Haven
Marjorie Stratton - Vinalhaven
Dexter Lee - Swan's Island
Malcolm Donald - Cranberry Isles
Pat McEachron - Frenchboro
Nathan Michaud - Island Institute
Nate Gray - Island Institute
Rob Benson - Maine Seacoast Mission
Rep. Hannah Pingree

I. Approval of minutes from 3/5/04
Before approving the minutes it needed to be determined if a quorum was present and what the exact number for a quorum was. 8 members need to be present for a quorum, which was present. Before each meeting, each member should give a definite yes or no regarding if they will attend the meeting so there will always be a quorum. Nate Michaud mentioned that some islands have not appointed a representative to the Coalition and that we need to have each island represented at each meeting, either an elected representative
or substitute, in order to build credibility. One change was noted in the minutes: change the date of the meeting to "2004" from "2005".
Motion: Move to accept the minutes from the previous meeting with the noted change. All in favor.

II. Organizational issues
A. Appointments
Currently all representatives have been appointed by a local organization, either neighborhood association or by board of selectman. If this hasn't been a formal appoint, the Portland City Council resolution could be used as a template. Dana Leath has a copy of the language used by
the City Council. Two islands, Isle Au Haut and Matinicus, do not have representation but contact is being made with the appropriate organizations.

B. E-mail
If e-mail isn't productive, hard copies of documents will be sent to those individuals who do not use email. Contact Dana Leath if you wish to do this. At the last meeting, the group wondered if a list serve would be an efficient way to transmit information. Municipally appointed commissions have been found in violation of Maine Right to Know law in two instances when they used e-mail for communication. North Haven has been in
contact with the Maine Municipal Association about this issue and Dana Leath will also contact MMA.

C. Letterhead
The Coalition needs an identity separate from the Island Institute with letterhead to reflect this separation. Dana Leath will begin to explore developing letterhead for the Coalition. The Island communities that are represented on the Coalition should be included, not the representative's
name because the rep's will change.

III. Revise Agenda
David Jerman wanted to discuss how other islands have dealt with deer issues. Marjorie Phyfe said that a few projects on Peaks have lost MBNA funding and she wondered if this has affected other islands as well. MBNA is refining the objectives of their giving programs but their commitment will continue, though the extant of any change is not known. Bart Morrison has spoken with a donor who is interested in establishing Health Savings Accounts for the islands. The group should discuss this at some later point. This allows people to create accounts and invest as they see fit and then use the money at a later point. The plan could work well for those uninsured or without comprehensive health insurance. Since the last meeting, the Island Institute held a fire protection meeting and the minutes are under review. One outcome is that the members present at the Fire meeting are going to meet three times a year. Further issues can be discussed at a later as they develop. Developing an email exchange for surplus equipment for island fire departments would be very helpful.

IV. Hope Island/ LNG
Mark Greene provided a background of Hope Island and its recent development. On the previous Wednesday, the Cumberland Town Council met in executive session to explore having an advisory town vote regarding the possibility of an LNG plant on Hope Island. The
vote will be held June 8th, 2004. The vote will allow the Cumberland Town Council to begin discussions with TransCanada about the plant.
Issues with this location:
-- Area surrounding Hope Island is a prime fishing location for local lobsterman. The ocean bottom that will be affected is very productive and the development will potentially affect close to 50 boats.
-- This development will affect the quality of life for those who face the plant
-- Not known what the effect will be on the Casco Bay Lines ferry schedule and route to outer islands
-- Voters of Cumberland will not bear the effect of the plant, instead Long and Cliff will face the brunt of the issues
-- The promised tax base benefits-- $4 to 5 million- depend on zoning and may not go into the tax base, but instead to infrastructure
-- No cost benefit analysis has been done, and there are very murky benefits Boston Mayor Menino is fighting a similar development in Boston Harbor from a security angle.

So, if the Boston Fire Department can't fight a potential disaster how can the island fire departments?

The pipeline for the development may run between Little and Big Chebeague Islands to Cousins Island.

Currently, the Penobscot Alliance is raising money to fight the LNG plant. TransCanada is looking for one site in Maine and another option is Sears Island. The company is also looking at other sites across the nation and Maine may be off of the list if other sites are found. There is a large demand for natural gas in New England, so developing a facility in this area is a natural fit.

Why hasn't the Cumberland Town Council taken a stand on this issue? Right now, all that has been done is that the Town Council has authorized a non-binding vote to explore the issue, there is no need for a stand. The Cumberland Town Manager said Town Council would take a lukewarm vote as an indication to proceed slowly.

This is more than a NIMBY issue, if the development wasn't in a residential area and would affect fishing and other quality of life issues, it would be a positive addition. Additionally, if the terror status is elevated, no boats can approach the tankers and this will adversely affect the ferry schedule.

Hannah Pingree gave a history of Sears Island. The State was trying to form a contract with company while the Harpswell vote was underway. The island is owned by the State so a public vote is not required to begin development. The negotiations were done secretly, or appeared so, and as a result the governor received quite a bit of bad PR. Governor is in favor of the facility because of the potential positive economic impact. Other sites are being explored, though only two of the sites (Cousins and Hope Island) are known to the public.

What can be done to fight the development in this location? Need money, influence, unity with other communities that would be affected and other organizations concerned about island/coastal communities. The Island Coalition should take a position on this project that can be read at other meetings. Research that was used for the Harpswell vote is available and could be used for this location as well. We should also find out what other locations are being sought because we want to fight this holistically, not on a case-by-case basis, this will only result in the facility being built in the location that doesn't have the resources to attack the proposal. Any statement should stress that landing site isn't the only place impacted, but instead there is an eco-system wide effect. This would help to move away from a NIMBY approach. Going door to door in Cumberland will be very helpful and many would be willing to help with this effort.

It seems that based on other locations, this one seems to have the least impact and is farther from coves and inlets that could hamper navigation. This location seems to make sense. Hope Island is surrounded by islands that are conserved/ preserved by the State, so facility will take away from the value of those protected areas. In addition the cost of security will be large and islanders will bear this cost.

Any statement needs to be used at the public hearing on Monday. During this meeting we need to make a large splash. The Monday meeting is the first step in a long process, but if the location is approved there are no roadblocks to development. What should we put our energy behind? A general statement may lose its teeth, there may be some ambivalence because many recognize the importance of natural gas but disagree with the facility because of the impact. Maybe we should move towards a collective statement about impacts. We need to be very direct because there is so little time. If we take a stand against the process, the focus moves from island specific concerns to a larger one. All islands should be included in the process because this will affect us all. A strong stand shouldn't be island specific but instead broadly represent all island communities because this is an example of mainland decisions affecting islands without islanders involved in the process.

Motion: The Island Coalition will put in writing a statement that we are deeply concerned based on environmental impact and zoning change, further concerned about the decision making process and that other sites are held from public view. The statement should include the
Coalition's mission statement and that we are especially concerned about fisheries and security concerns. All in favor.

Motion: Bring this issue to other organizations concerned about this project to make statements. All in favor.

V. Revaluation/ Property taxes
Portland just revalued its property and the largest increases were on the land and not the houses. People are very upset and justifiably. Peter Murray, a lawyer in Portland, said that citizens fought a similar issue in the 1970s and won. Values on Little Diamond increased the most and the
problem is in the land valuation; the housing value is very accurate but the land value may be off by as much as 100%. There have not been many recent sales to use as comparables and this presents a problem. Little Diamond gets not city services except for trash pickup. The property
tax issue isn't just a Portland problem, it is one that is crucial to all islands. The Legislature has not done enough to address this issue as they should have. Does the legislature believe in island viability? This issue isn't just about island viability but coastal viability. There are two issues
that need to be address: One, the way that towns rely on the property tax, Two, property tax determination. The Portland assessor hired a firm and they proved to be incompetent. There is a meeting next Thursday at Brackett Street Community Church on Peaks Island to discuss a community response. This issue affects people and their ability to stay on islands, so it would be helpful for the Legislators to have support or think about responses to the problem.

Has there been any thought by the Legislature about a spending cap? Over the past ten years the budget has increased less than inflation.

The Palesky proposal will take away from a town's ability to fund needed projects. There are some interesting aspects to Prop 13 (the California measure that influenced the Palesky proposal). The cost of county government is way too high and the impact on impact is tremendous, yet there is nothing to do to affect the cost and almost no return on the money. For instance, Islesboro supports the Sheriff's Department but there isn't a sheriff on the island so they have to fund the police.

The Legislature will go into special session in August so now is the time to take some steps. The communities represented by the Coalition may not get as much support from the Maine Municipal Association proposal as is being advertised in the media. Maybe it would be helpful
for the group to explore each of the different options and then take a stand? It would be helpful for the Legislators to have a statement in support of one option and to take a stance by July. Can the group take a stand without the representatives first consulting their respective boards or neighborhood associations? Each representative should determine from their sponsoring organization whether or not to support the Palesky or MMA proposal.

VI. School Consolidation/ Regionalization
While school consolidation on islands seems impossible, there has been talk of combining the Fox Island schools. The Department of Education has said that it would extremely hard for island schools to consolidate so there may be an "exemption" made for those schools. Will island schools continue to receive isolation money? The state is moving towards funding "essential programs and services" but there is a fight to keep "isolation" money.

VII. Island Cost of Living Study
There has been some progress on an island cost of living study. Dana Leath has spoken with Charlie Colgan about the study. It could been done on different scales and Charlie is interested in having a meeting in June to determine how we could use the study. This would certainly help
with HUD guidelines for affordable housing because the standards are so low but living on islands is so expensive. We should form a sub-committee with Doug Boynton (Monhegan), Charles Enders (Peaks Island) and Marjorie Phyfe (Peaks Island).

VIII. Fire Protection
The Fire Protection group met last month and the meeting was very productive. Anyone or island that would like to become involved should contact Dana Leath. One topic discussed during the meeting was how ratings are determined and how hard it is to lower a rating. Also, larger homes and new construction are having a hard time getting insurance or have to pay quite a bit. Is it possible for people or islands to work together to get their policies?

IX. Ferry Security
The Maine State Ferry Service vessels security plan was accepted but not the facilities plan. They didn't get a waiver and now must work with the Coast Guard and implement the plan. The impact of the plan on travelers is unclear and what will be put in place is not known. Certainly, it
will take a while to work out the bugs.

X. Deer Population
On North Haven a person from the state is coming to the island to investigate the deer population/ problem. Have other islands faced similar issues with their deer population? North Haven could petition the state for a large hunt. Look into a special depredation hunt that will
allow you to take more deer. It is important to have a long-term plan on how to control the herd. If a community implements a hunt, it is important to have a gun ordinance that allows only shotguns and no rifles. Land owners also must give permission for hunters to go onto their land.

XI. Next meeting
Friday, July 30th at the Island Institute from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm