CAMDEN, Maine (May 3, 2016) — The fourteen community volunteers who make up the Work Group that is studying potential uses for the former Apollo Tannery site at 116 Washington Street are preparing for their first Community Meeting. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 12 at Camden-Rockport Middle School.

Roger Moody, who was elected by the members as the group leader, said in a news release, "The site is important because it offers an opportunity to create a place of community and neighborhood energy, interest, and vitality. It can serve several purposes, from park space to commercial or nonprofit uses, all of which could be compatible with the neighborhood and serve the wider community as well."

"The Tannery Committee has spent a year looking at possibilities and solutions for the Tannery site from every conceivable angle," reports Jo Dondis, a volunteer who serves on the Work Group appointed last year by the Select Board. "Now we need to hear from the public. What do people want to see there? What do they think is the best use of the property? We need answers to these questions before we can make any recommendations to the town select board," Dondis says.

In addition to Moody and Dondis, community volunteers who stepped forward to participate in the Tannery Work Group process were Ray Andresen, John Arnold, Asger Bagge, Anita Brosius-Scott, Stephen Gold, Peter Gross, Charlie Jordan, Delisa Morong, Craig Mudge, Tom Resek, Michael Skaling and Jamie Weymouth. Don White serves as Select Board liaison to the group. (John Scholz was an original group member but had to step down.)

Moody says that he volunteered to serve in order "to see if a consensus could be developed about what re-use possibilities would be acceptable to the community. Given the green space/fully re-develop split among Camden's citizens about the site, a process had to be created to let conversation and ideas flow in a constructive way."

The process has led the volunteers through the generation of ideas, healthy debates and productive discussions on how the property can be used to benefit the community. As reflected by results of a public referendum on the topic that was held in November 2014, Work Group members held diverse and sometimes opposing opinions at the start of the process as to the future of the site. The results of the vote had been split, with citizens landing on either side of the question of whether the site should be park/open space, or whether it should carry forward the commercial use that the property had historically maintained. The vote tended slightly toward a commercial use but was close enough for the Select Board to establish the study group to determine what the community really wanted at the site.

"It has been very rewarding to watch this group work," says Community Development Director Karen Brace. "They began very far apart with their thoughts and ideas and have come together to form a common dialogue. We're hoping this type of study group can become a template for how the community can arrive at a consensus on divisive issues that may arise."

The first community meeting will focus on background information and a report from environmental engineers that have studied readiness of the site. During a period of listening to questions and input from the community, the Work Group will continue to meet to refine the ideas and opinions the public has shared. Ultimately, the group will go to the Select Board with recommendations for a future use of the site.

Jo Dondis says, "I'm looking forward to a robust turnout and spirited discussion at the public meetings the committee has scheduled. This is a good opportunity for one and all to turn out and tell us what they envision for the Tannery site."

Work Group members urge residents to attend the May 12 meeting at 6:30 p.m., at the Camden-Rockport Middle School and join in the process. A second community meeting will be scheduled for June. For more information, please contact Community Development Office at 236-3353 or karen@camdenmaine.gov.

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