Letter to the Editor

Corridor planners should heed towns’ wishes

To the Editor:
    At its town meeting March 8, by a vote of 59-19, the town of Charleston passed a “Resolution to oppose the Passage of an East West Corridor Through the Town of Charleston”. At the April 2, 2013 Penobscot County Commissioners’ meeting, Commissioner Peter Baldacci asked Cianbro CEO Peter Vigue “if any community that doesn’t want a corridor, if they make a decision as a public body (that) they won’t have it … (if so) would you not try to reverse or appeal that decision in court?” Mr. Vigue responded “I have no authority to do so, nor would we do so.” An audience member asked Mr. Vigue “would you put into writing a statement that says ‘for any community that says we do not care to have this … corridor brought to our … town, we will not do so’”?

    Mr. Vigue responded: “absolutely.” The preceding can be accessed at the WERU website News Report archives, labeled 3 April 2013.
    While Cianbro says EWC planning is still very much alive and well, the company failed to announce the final route it had promised to announce by the end of 2013.
    Meanwhile, communities in the proposed path continue working to keep the project out of this region. Area towns are pressing ahead with both short- and long-range efforts to prevent the EWC from becoming a reality.
    Parkman, Sangerville, Dexter, Garland, Monson, Charleston and Abbot have all passed moratoria to prevent the EWC. Most have also passed or are working on other legal tools to use in opposing the EWC. It is my hope that Mr. Vigue is a man of integrity, such that he honors his own words and stops planning for the EWC to pass through towns that have clearly stated they do not want it.

Bob Lodato
Charleston