Being a longtime Gorham resident, I have read with interest about the proposed connector that promises to lessen traffic issues. I myself have sat in the long line of vehicles that stretches out on County Road on any given late afternoon. This is yet another example of infrastructure here in southern Maine that was never designed to handle this volume of traffic.

The folks who own Hillside Lumber and Smiling Hill Farm are now concerned that their family farm is being asked to support a small portion of this new road. They, along with many other landowners, must contribute to this much needed project.

Southern Maine has experienced incredible growth over the last 20 years or so. Literally thousands of new homes have cropped up in this part of the state. Lumber companies like Hillside have supplied the necessary materials for these homes and reaped profits in the process. It is these new homes that brought the increase in traffic to many roads.

It is an unfortunate byproduct of growth that these new roads must be built. Now that Hillside Lumber is being asked to cede some of its land, it is no longer interested. Many have been asked for their land and it is time for these parties to participate as well. When it comes right down to it, they cannot have their cake and ice cream and eat it, too.

Kendall Palmer
South Casco

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