Questions continue about site contamination, the potential to harm the aquifer, the impact on Route 16 traffic, and why the Planning Board rejected the argument that the development has regional impact, thereby denying abutting towns a voice in the matter.
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.
Freedom passed the hat for money to pay for its lawsuit in the Westward Shores matter. Ossipee wants to know who chipped in.
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.
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.
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