Since our last Snapshot Update on December 2, the Castine Citizens Action Group (CCAG) has been busy. The Coordinating Committee has held weekly Sunday meetings, with the one exception of December 23, 2007.

The following is a summary of our activity:

Freedom of Access Act ~ MMA was cooperative in responding our FAA request for information pertaining to the purchase of the Abbott House. There was initial concern that we were asking for “a truck load of information”; however, the “truck load“ amounted to a medium sized shopping bag. We have reviewed that material and are impressed with the lack of detail regarding authorization for the purchase and the source of funds. In short, the information we requested raises more questions than it answers.

Presentation Packages ~ We have spent a lot of time developing presentation packages for distribution to interested parties, such as legislators. Our message is simple: the use of the Abbott House by the Maine Maritime Academy is in direct violation of Castine’s zoning ordinance. We cannot, and will not, let this challenge to our local ordinances and our right to self-determination go unanswered. We go on to say that while we all recognize the important role Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) plays in the vitality of our community, that vitality can only be achieved if MMA respects the community in which it functions, and is willing to enter into a balanced and collaborative relationship that takes into consideration both the goals of the Town and the Academy, as well as the Town’s heritage and resources. The emphasis is on balanced and collaborative.

Legislative Visits ~ We have continued our visits with the legislative leadership and have now met with over a dozen senior members of the legislature. The meetings have gone well and we are clearly getting our message across.

MMA Board Nominees ~ Many of the legislative leaders with whom we have met have encouraged us to come up with a list of potential qualified board members. We have met with a number of Castine residents whose credentials are outstanding and who have agreed to have their names put forward. These names and accompanying CVs will be forwarded to the legislative leadership shortly.

Liaison with the Selectmen/Town Manager ~ One of the major objectives of the CCAG is to offer support to the Selectmen and the Town Manager on the issue of MMA’s violation of Castine’s zoning ordinances. Accordingly, we have, and will continue, to meet with our Town officials and brief them on the progress of our efforts. Town officials have been very appreciative of our efforts.

National Public Relations Strategy ~ A long time summer “rusticator”, who works for a New York public relations firm, is suggesting that we take this legal issue to a national audience. The purpose would be to raise the questions:

• Whose town is it?
• What rights does it have to control the nature of its growth?
• Under what conditions can a State college overrule it?
  

Financial Support ~ The financial support we have received from our members is very much appreciated. Our need for financial support continues in order to pay for the services of our lobbyist/strategist. The expenses we incur are completely separate from those of the Town of Castine. Please refer to the Donation page on this site to learn how you can make a contribution.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact anyone on the Coordinating Committee.

The meeting opened with discussion of the Castine Patriot article of 11/29/07 regarding the freedom of Information request. It was agreed that the committee would follow up with a letter explaining the need for that request. As MMA has continued to be less than forthcoming with information and answers regarding their future plans, the formal request for information was deemed necessary.

Other business was to finalize the information packet that will be left with Legislators.

There was discussion regarding topics and questions for the upcoming meetings with Senators Richard Rosen & Peggy Rotundo.

It was reported by Susie that the letter to the membership will be ready to be mailed by mid-week.

Finally, there was concern expressed by the committee members that to date, there has been no response or follow up from the MMA Board of Trustees regarding the statement read by Jim at the Nov. 9th Trustees’ meeting.

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The committee was briefed on the latest information from Cook Associates regarding upcoming meetings with Legislators.

A subcommittee will meet with Ms. Rotundo in Augusta on 12/3.
The committee will meet with Richard Rosen on Tuesday 12/4.

Jim has spoken with Patrick Ede (Advisor on Education) in the Gov.’s office & a plan was made to set up a meeting for the following week.

There was discussion about the formulation of the information packet that will be made available to hand to Legislators which will cover the major issues with documentation, graphics and our position. Gil has been in contact with Goodman media in NY.

Again the question was visited: Can a state-run institution interpret the local zoning laws to serve themselves rather than abide by the letter and intent for which those laws were written? And what does that mean to other small college towns across the nation.

Freedom of Information Act : It was agreed that Cook Associates would issue a press release regarding the request for information from MMA sent on Nov. 16.

Once again, there was much discussion about an opening for dialog with MMA officials.

Several options are being explored including an action plan to open contact with MMA alumni.

Lastly, there was concern expressed about MMA’s lack of communication to the local town governments regarding the Tidal Energy Project.

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The meeting opened with discussion of the FOIA request that was sent to Len Tyler by Cook Associates on Friday Nov. 16th. Overall we agreed we were pleased with the document. The request has been posted on our website.

Discussion continued regarding attorney responsibilities and the direction we wish to go. It was agreed that Ms. Cook would take her direction from CCAG thru John & Dan.

Plans were made to begin to make legislative contacts . We talked about the message we wish to convey. Kimberly will begin to arrange those meetings.

Other discussion included the value of the laws and the ability to enforce them.

It was agreed that our objective is two-fold: 1.We need to get MMA to accept the letter of the law and the spirit in which those laws were written. 2. We need to have an open dialog with MMA officials. To date we have been unable to attain that.

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The meeting opened with discussion of the MMA Board of Trustees’ meeting of Friday Nov. 9th. For those CCAG members in attendance it was unclear whether the Trustees had actually voted on the purchase of Abbott House as there was nothing in the August 24th minutes referring to the purchase. Notwithstanding, the minutes of the August MMA Board meeting were accepted; however immediately following executive session the motion was made to recind the vote and postpone further discussion and approval until the February board meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Jim Whittemore read a statement to the Trustees which can be viewed on on our Items of Interest page.

It was the opinion by CCAG members attending that there was a lack of process, very little dialog, few questions and very little content to the Trustee’s meeting.

Other discussion centered on MMA’s apparent plan to increase enrollment and the impact of that on Castine’s infrastructure and quality of life. It was noted that it is clear that the town cannot support an increase in student population or vehicles as is being considered under the current plan. We agreed that it is vital that the Castine community understand and support this.

We were updated on the progress of our legal counsel & the need to continue to be in contact with our legislative leaders.

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CCAG had a productive meeting. The clear consensus of the group is for a vigorous defense of the zoning ordinance and support of the town officials. The discussion continued with updates on contacts at the Legislative level, including Appropriations and Educational Committees, as well as the Governor.

We discussed the supplemental budget hearing in January and think it would be a good place to make a case against MMA’s use of tax dollars.

It was agreed there should be strong showing of concerned citizens with questions for the MMA Trustees meeting on Friday Nov. 9^th @ 8:30 am.

We updated our membership list and created a form available on our website. We agreed that formalizing our membership list and increasing the numbers is a priority along with legislative initiative.

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Oct 21st snapshot

CCAG committee formally agrees to hire Ms. Cook as legal council. We agree to begin to raise funds by contacting citizens who signed the Letter of Concern document.

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Oct 19th snapshot

CCAG committee meets with Kimberly Cook, Esq. of Cook & Associates in Portland. Ms. Cook outlined a plan for CCAG.

The committee agrees that until MMA board of Trustees make a public statement saying that they agree to respect the town's zoning ordinance in letter and in spirit, there can be no meaningful dialogue.

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Oct 14th snapshot

The coordinating committee of CCAG met to elect a more formal leadership. Mike Coughlin was named chair, Dan Gregorie-vice chair, Gil Tenney-treasurer, Susan Hatch-secretary.

We all agreed that there is the need for legal council and government relations advice. Dan Gregorie was given the task of researching availability.

The committee approved the establishment of a fund for legal advice, media placement and government relations support.

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