In a letter to the Carroll County Independent, the co-founder and former president of the Long Sands Association property owners group questions why the Ossipee Planning Board would deny the Town of Freedom's request for more time to present its concerns about the proposed expansion of Westward Shores Campground.
The Marist Brothers organization is asking the court to agree with their position that they are exempt from property taxation based on their non-profit status and charitable status. The Town of Effingham says the camp's purposes are unduly broad, its programs are not sufficiently different from those offered by for-profit youth camps, and the volume of scholarships provided to families in need is "unremarkable."
The campground's cavalier treatment of the facts about flooding on Ossipee Lake should have officials on high alert.
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.
The towns of Freedom and Effingham and the Lakes Region Planning Commission have been granted abutter status and will be permitted to comment on the expansion proposal. The Planning Board also mandated a third-party independent review of the expansion application, to be paid for by the campground, to make sure the application meets the town's zoning ordinance.
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