What Do you Want to Do with the Tannery Space?

With fits and starts, Camden Tannery Work Group to hold community meeting

Holly S. Edwards

Mon, 05/09/2016 - 1:00pm

CAMDEN — It’s been over a year since the Camden Select Board appointed the 14-member Tannery Work Group, and there have not been as many meetings as some would have hoped, but finally the group has met enough times to organize itself and set a date for an inaugural community meeting.

The meeting has been set for Thursday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Camden-Rockport Middle School on Knowlton Street. It is the public’s opportunity to step forward and voice their opinions about what the former Apollo Tanning site on outer Washington Street should be redeveloped into and/or used for.

The Work Group was formed in February 2015 by the Select Board, following a vote by citizens in November 2014 on how they felt the site should be used.

In that close nonbinding vote, Camden residents indicated they wanted the Tannery to be used for commercial/business purposes. The question on the ballot was: "Do you support using the Tannery property for commercial/business uses described in the Guiding Principles approved by the Town Meeting, or do you support using the Tannery property for park/open space?"

— 1,429 said they wanted it kept for commercial/business use

— 1,360 said they wanted it used as park/open space

Because the vote was so close, the Select Board charged the Tannery Work Group with determining what the community really wants as a use for the site.

The members of the Tannery Work group are Ray Andresen, John Arnold, Asger Bagge, Anita Brosius-Scott, Jo Dondis, Stephen Gold, Peter Gross, Charlie Jordan, Roger Moody, Delisa Morong, Craig Mudge, Tom Resek, Michael Skaling and Jamie Weymouth. Don White serves as Select Board liaison to the group.

A series of three Community Meetings will be planned over the next few months. During the process the Work Group will seek input from community members on their work to date and share their perspectives on the site's potential to contribute to the community. At the May 12 meeting, a short history will be provided along with an update from environmental experts on the safety of the site. The public will have the opportunity to ask questions of engineers, a representative of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Work Group, as well as offer their input and ideas.

The Tannery Work Group is ultimately charged with recommending to the Select Board a type of use for the former Tannery property that reflects the priorities of citizens. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and be a part of the process.

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