A map shows the parcels of land that a Brunswick Committee is working on to bring recreation space to an underserved side of town. Courtesy of the Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department

The Former Maine Gravel & Captain Fitzgerald Land Parcels — a swath of town property in eastern Brunswick — is a mouthful to say, but those planning for its use note that there is more than meets the eye. 

“It’s a name that if I were just reading or looking at things, I wouldn’t recognize it as something really exciting,” said Sherry Mason, the chairperson of the committee with an even lengthier title (Former Maine Gravel Services and Captain William Fitzgerald Recreation and Conservation Area Master Plan Committee) charged with forming the plan for the land. “And it’s really exciting.”

The over 230 acres of town property located along the stretch of land between the Androscoggin and New Meadows Rivers includes a former gravel mining site and a trove of wildlife habitat. After a year of workshopping and hearing the environmental concerns raised by the community, the plan for what happens next with it is nearly ironed out and will be reviewed in a final public forum on Saturday before heading to Town Council for review.

“We’ve come up with what we think represents what the community told us, and this is a chance to say, ‘Here, everyone, if you’re just coming to the party, this is what we think,'” Mason said. “‘Or, if you’ve been at the party a long time and you think we’re missing something or were making a terrible mistake, here’s your chance.’ Because after this, it’s going to the council, and they’re going to decide what happens.”

Ideas for the land include a playground, playing fields, trails, fishing, a swimming area and establishing land use rules for the public. Some aspects of the plan are long overdue.

The large pond located on the land was the site of a former gravel and sand mining operation. The land was donated to the town in 2019. Courtesy of the Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department

Community concerns

While the possible use of the land may be exciting and long-anticipated for some, its ecological significance also prompts concern among residents who live nearby or use the land.

One aspect that Mason said the committee will present on Saturday is determining what rules will be in place — some of which she predicts will draw pushback.

For instance, she said that whether or not to allow hunting on the land has been controversial, as have been rules for where and how dogs should be present on the property, given the abundance of wildlife there. Mason anticipates that no matter what decision the committee comes to, people may not be fully satisfied with the result.

Other residents have raised concerns surrounding the exposed aquifer that is now a significant pond on the land. One resident that lives near the property, Susan Moulton, submitted a letter in early November, calling on the committee to reconsider including a swimming area in the pond, citing a concern for impact on local ecosystems and impact to her family’s well-water quality.

Resident Bob Moulton also submitted a letter a few days later to the public record echoing Susan’s concerns, claiming that the body of water has suffered several “assaults” from mining, contamination from an alleged police firing range and the removal of a beaver dam. He also called for a hydrology engineering and ground water study of the land.

A hydrogeologic study was then submitted to the town on Nov. 20, 2024, stating that activities planned for the area are unlikely to impact well and ground water, and that there was no information on “duration of time or frequency of use of the Site as a firing range.” It also stated that the beaver dam had little impact on the pond water levels and, given that beavers can cause blooms of the giardia parasite, suggested dam removal if swimming was planned for the area.

Bob told The Times Record that the report done in response to his letter was not the study he requested and that it did not rely on actual water samples but instead used geological survey data that he said is not accurate. He also said that the committee did not address his concerns on the possible lead contamination in the pond, and he was disturbed at the lack of certainty on whether his well was safe.

“Why take chance on somebody’s drinking water?” he said.  “… I am willing to burn my bridge to do the right thing.”

Balancing priorities

Mason noted that the land is also incredibly diverse and complex, making planning equally so. For instance, there is a variety of terrains present such as sand piles left over from mining and bodies of water. On top of this, land use rules can vary from parcel to parcel.

“It’s a little bit strange to talk about it, because we’re looking at it as a whole,” Mason said.

There are a lot of opinions on what to do with the land, but Mason said that the use plan is about compromise. Not everyone is going to be completely happy in the end, she said, noting that her own priorities for the land have changed throughout the process as she listened to other viewpoints.

“And of course, we’re a town, we have to share,” Mason said. “I think that there are certain decisions that are going to disappoint people, and my invitation to everyone is come to this workshop. We really are trying to make the best compromise we can.”

The workshop is from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at 29 Sewall St., Brunswick.

View details about the land and the committee’s work at mainegravel-fitzgeraldplanning.org.