Results of Open Space Survey
Prepared by Donald Stover, Chairman, Poland Conservation Commission
December 9, 2009
SUMMARY OF SURVEY FINDINGS
Open Space surveys were voluntarily completed by 207 citizens at the November, 2009 elections. Results showed that 90% of the respondents were in favor of the Conservation Commission goal of preserving open space. The reasons most frequently given for preserving open space were:
- Insure balanced development
- Maintain natural environment
- Provide a rural quality of life
- Consideration for future generations
Some persons also expressed concern for scenic values and outdoor recreation.
Those opposed to open space preservation cited concerns that motorized recreation would be curtailed, infringements on taxpayer and landowner rights, and feelings that preservation was unnecessary or inappropriate as a town government activity.
Numerous areas within the town were nominated as appropriate to consider for preservation. Many citizens seemed to want to preserve the farm and forest appearance along most of the town roadways. Another large group of respondents urged preservation of lake front and watershed property. Specific areas most frequently cited for preservation were: Bragdon Hill, Black Cat Mountain, Railroad bed and the area behind the Fire Station.
OPEN SPACE SURVEY RESULTS
All Poland Town voters were requested to complete an Open Space Planning Survey.
207 persons completed the survey.
Question: Do you agree with the goal of trying to preserve open spaces in Poland?
Fully Agree 139
Somewhat Agree 48
187=90%
Somewhat Disagree 5
Fully Disagree 15
20=10%
Written Comments: 113 respondents wrote comments concerning reasons they were for or against open space preservation. While comments were quite diverse, most were amenable to grouping according to the following coding categories:
CODING CATEGORIES
| CATEGORY | DESCRIPTION & sample comments |
|---|---|---|
1 | NATURAL VALUES | Water, habitat, general environmental “help with wildlife in the area” “wonderful natural places that should be preserved” “maintain nature’s habitats” “I believe Poland should preserve the pond areas and lakes.” “we need preservation. . .” |
2 | SCENIC VALUE | “we’ll lose the beauty. . .” “…spaces for our vistas” “public access to beauty” |
3 | FUTURE CONSIDERATION | “our town should be able to enjoy its amenities for generations” “looking towards the future” “the less developed we are, the more we are looking out for our future generations” “once it’s gone, it’s gone” “I don’t know what I would do if my old hunting lands were gone” “I want my children and grandchildren to enjoy this area as much as I have” |
| CATEGORY | DESCRIPTION & sample comments |
4 | BALANCED DEVELOPMENT | Concerns about congestion, sprawl, exploitation of land “prevent urban sprawl” “without open space the town will get too congested” “we are slowly watching land vanish” “other than downtown we need not to develop more housing projects” “you need to balance growth and conservation” “protect from business exploitation” |
5 | QUALITY OF LIFE | Appeal of town, rural character, reason for living here “The reason we moved to Poland was for the quiet and private way we like to live.” “to keep the rural-ness of Poland and preserve the way of life” “I like the town just the way it is.” “Open space is an important part of what makes Poland an appealing place to live.” |
6 | RECREATION | Hiking, biking, outdoor enjoyment “conserve our lands for enjoyment” “would like to see development of nature trails or bike trails” “opportunity to hunt, bike, etc.” |
6a | MOTORIZED RECREATION | Specific reference to snowmobile/and or ATV usage “We need open space for snowmobiling and four wheeling.” “Open space is important as long as it can be offered for recreations such as snowmobiling, hiking, biking, skiing, etc.” |
7 | LANDOWNER RIGHTS | Concern that landowner rights be protected “depends upon landowner wishes for the parcels” “Every town should have areas left undeveloped—but need to take land owners into consideration.” “Developments that were to be developed or in progress should be allowed.” “I believe this infringes on rights of landowners |
8 | TAXPAYER RIGHTS | Concern about fair treatment for taxpayers. If motorized recreation denied, people would be still have to support with their taxes. “They can’t get the property tax right. . ." |
9 | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT | Expressed need for more business development |
10 | UNCONCERNED ABOUT OVERDEVELPMENT | “I don’t see enough development to consider this.” |
11 | EDUCATIONAL VALUE | |
12 | INAPPROPRIATE USE OF TOWN RESOURCES | Questions appropriateness of using town resources for open space preservation “I don’t see enough development to consider this.” |
The 101 written responses of those who favored open space planning were coded and scored as follows: (note, a given written response might be coded in more than one category)
CATEGORY | SCORE (# of comments) |
|---|---|
NATURAL VALUES | 26 |
SCENIC VALUE | 8 |
FUTURE CONSIDERATION | 19 |
BALANCED DEVELOPMENT | 28 |
QUALITY OF LIFE | 25 |
RECREATION | 5 |
MOTORIZED RECREATION | 4 |
LANDOWNER RIGHTS | 3 |
TAXPAYER RIGHTS | 3 |
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT | |
UNCONCERNED ABOUT OVERDEVELPMENT | |
EDUCATIONAL VALUE | 1 |
INAPPROPRIATE USE OF TOWN RESOURCES |
The individual responses which were not coded above were as follows:
- “important to the community”
- “agriculture is a viable economic development strategy and also contributes to open space.”
- “definitely needed”
- “I wish residents could use open spaces for gathering such as parks with play equipment, bike trails and outdoor family concerts/performances. We need more gathering places.”
The 12 comments made by persons who oppose open space preservation were coded as follows:
CATEGORY | SCORE (# of comments) |
|---|---|
NATURAL VALUES | |
SCENIC VALUE | |
FUTURE CONSIDERATION | |
BALANCED DEVELOPMENT | |
QUALITY OF LIFE | |
RECREATION | 1 |
MOTORIZED RECREATION | 3 |
LANDOWNER RIGHTS | 1 |
TAXPAYER RIGHTS | 3 |
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT | 1 |
UNCONCERNED ABOUT OVERDEVELPMENT | 2 |
EDUCATIONAL VALUE | |
INAPPRORPIATE USE OF TOWN RESOURCES | 1 |
The unique responses which were not coded are as follows:
- “Typical liberal land grab”
- “Need more for people and things for kids”
Respondents were also asked to identify areas of town which they felt were especially appropriate for preservation.
Many citizens expressed wish to see areas along their favorite roads remain open. The roads specifically mentioned were:
- North Raymond Road
- Route 11
- Route 26, especially at south end
- Megquier Hill Rd.
- Johnson Hill Rd.
- Plains Rd.
- Cobb Road
- Jackson Rd.
- Summit Springs Rd.
- Range Hill Rd.
- Farms on Harris Hill Rd.
- Schellinger and Cleve Tripp Roads
- White Oak Hill between Summit Spring Rd. & Rt. 11
- Empire Rd.
- Torrey Rd/
- Dunn Rd.
Specific areas most frequently mentioned were:
- Bragdon Hill
- Black Cat Mt.
- Railroad bed from Poland Corner Rd. to Rt. 11 in Mechanic Falls
- Area behind fire house by the dam
Other specifically mentioned areas were:
- All Town owned properties
- Tripp Lake Beach area
- Town Beach on Lower Range Pond
- Trails around Range Pond
- Estes Bog
- Map 6, Lot 47
- Shaker Bog
- Torrey farm lands
- Ferland field across from golf course
- Surrounding Empire Campground
- Annie Hill on Maple Lane
More general preservation objectives were outlined by a large number of respondents:
- Any available lake front property
- Lake watershed lands
- Farmlands
- Land abutting the Little Androscoggin River