CASCO – One of the best viewing spots in southern Maine – 753-foot-high Hacker’s Hill in Casco, which has been on the market for almost two years – may soon be protected for generations to come if a local nonprofit can raise the $700,000 asking price.

Conrad Hall, whose father, Hacker Hall, cleared a hilltop nearly 50 years ago for a dramatic view of Sebago Lake and the White Mountains, has taken care of the 27-acre clearing for decades. He and his son, Jeff Hall, and a friend, Don Fowler, have spent their own time and money to provide the public with a paved road to the top, bathroom facilities and mowing, so much so that visitors often believe the hilltop is a state-run, taxpayer funded attraction.

But with Conrad Hall nearing 75 and wanting to sell the acreage for retirement, the family listed the parcel for $1.69 million in fall 2009 with Keller Williams Realty/Cathy Manchester Team in Gray. According to Conrad Hall, the only offers that have come in on the parcel have been from buyers interested in closing the land to public use, something the Hall family was hoping to avoid.

But last week, the family signed an agreement with Loon Echo Land Trust that gives the Bridgton-based conservation group a year to raise $800,000 to purchase the land (estimated to cost $700,000 plus a $100,000 endowment fund for continual maintenance, taxes and other costs). The figure was negotiated among the Halls, Loon Echo and Trust for Public Land, a national organization that works with local land trusts to protect land. In Maine, the organization has helped protect more than 130,000 acres in 66 different projects, most recently working in Windham to help conserve the Clark Farm off Route 202, one of the largest farm tracts in the town.

According to Carrie Walia, Loon Echo’s executive director, the one-year option agreement will be exercised after several pieces of the conservation project align.

“In order to conserve this precious property,” she wrote in a prepared statement, “the appraisal needs to confirm the sale price ($700,000) that has been negotiated. Next, the grant application submitted to the Land for Maine’s Future Program (LMF), an essential component of the project budget, needs to be approved. In April, Loon Echo submitted a $350,000 request to LMF, and the grant awards will be announced in late-July. If we’re successful in securing a LMF grant, we’ll launch a capital campaign, asking community members to generously gift or make a pledge of support to the $800,000 project. Loon Echo will close on the project and take fee ownership of the property if the funds are raised within one year.”

If they are successful in raising the money, Walia said, “our goal is to protect Hacker’s Hill in order to continue the traditional public access for the scenic viewing and recreational opportunities, as well as for the cultural, historical and economic purposes.”

Contacted Tuesday, Walia said she is optimistic her organization can rise to the challenge.

“I think it’s quite a good opportunity,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of work and effort to seek out donors, but we think we can do it.”

Great view

The parcel is one of the Lakes Region’s gems, beloved by tourists and locals alike for its views and easy access. Conrad Hall, whose family has owned the property since 1855, said he’ll continue to maintain the area throughout Loon Echo’s fundraising effort and hopes that the land trust, which would protect the public aspects of the site, is successful.

“The big reason it hasn’t sold yet isn’t because people weren’t interested,” Hall said. “People were interested but we didn’t want it developed. If we could have found a customer that would like to retain it for the public, that’s what we were looking for.”

Hall said he mainly wants it kept open to the public so they “can enjoy what I’ve enjoyed a good part of my life. It’s the spirituality of the place that I want people to experience,” he said.

Aside from the expansive view of forests and lakes, there are several religious items, including a cross and worship areas, atop the hill where churches hold worship services. If the land trust is able to purchase the property, Walia said, she “hopes that can continue. I don’t think there’d be any problem but I don’t know all the details.” Some of the funding might come from government sources, she said, which could impact the religious aspects of the site.

Good timing

Walia said the land trust, which already protects 3,000 acres in the greater Lakes Region via outright ownership or by conservation easement, is “winding down” two other capital campaigns this summer and will focus on Hacker’s Hill campaign starting in June, when a committee of Casco and Raymond conservation leaders will convene to begin their fundraising. One of the likely committee members, Grant Plummer of Casco, is ready to get going.

“I’m excited,” Plummer said. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for the communities. It gives the public a fantastic vantage point.”

With the option agreement between the land trust and the Hall family being signed Tuesday, May 17, a warrant article has been prepared for Casco’s annual town meeting Wednesday, June 8, asking voters to donate $75,000 from a $120,000 land acquisition/easement account for the Hacker’s Hill project.

“The voters have set aside $20,000 to $30,000 a year for several years so we already have the money in a capital account. So, I would think this $75,000 ought to be a real easy sell,” Plummer said. “The Hall family has been very gracious to take care of that property for so long now, and I think it would be crazy not to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Hacker’s Hill may be the closest thing Casco has to a tourist attraction, as well. On a nice weekend in the summer, hundreds of people visit the hill. While there are no businesses on the site or within a short distance of the hill, nearby Route 302 is a major thoroughfare.

“The full panoramic view of mountains, lakes and greenery or fall foliage is a prime tourist attraction that draws many visitors and serves to underscore our unique identity as the Lake Region of Maine,” said Jim Mains, executive director of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. “Hacker’s Hill should be protected for public use not only because of its immense beauty, but also because it helps to define Western Maine to all of us: visitors and residents alike.”

The Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce’s Sue Bonior adds, “We’ve recommended Hacker’s Hill first and foremost to our visitors because of its magnificent view of our region and its accessibility to everyone. There is a direct economic link, more than any other landmark in our region.”

Hacker’s Hill in Casco (Staff photo by John Balentine)

CASCO – One of the best viewing spots in southern Maine – 753-foot-high Hacker’s Hill in Casco, which has been on the market for almost two years – may soon be protected for generations to come if a local nonprofit can raise the $700,000 asking price.

Conrad Hall, whose father, Hacker Hall, cleared a hilltop nearly 50 years ago for a dramatic view of Sebago Lake and the White Mountains, has taken care of the 27-acre clearing for decades. He and his son, Jeff Hall, and a friend, Don Fowler, have spent their own time and money to provide the public with a paved road to the top, bathroom facilities and mowing, so much so that visitors often believe the hilltop is a state-run, taxpayer funded attraction.

But with Conrad Hall nearing 75 and wanting to sell the acreage for retirement, the family listed the parcel for $1.69 million in fall 2009 with Keller Williams Realty/Cathy Manchester Team in Gray. According to Conrad Hall, the only offers that have come in on the parcel have been from buyers interested in closing the land to public use, something the Hall family was hoping to avoid.

But last week, the family signed an agreement with Loon Echo Land Trust that gives the Bridgton-based conservation group a year to raise $800,000 to purchase the land (estimated to cost $700,000 plus a $100,000 endowment fund for continual maintenance, taxes and other costs). The figure was negotiated among the Halls, Loon Echo and Trust for Public Land, a national organization that works with local land trusts to protect land. In Maine, the organization has helped protect more than 130,000 acres in 66 different projects, most recently working in Windham to help conserve the Clark Farm off Route 202, one of the largest farm tracts in the town.

According to Carrie Walia, Loon Echo’s executive director, the one-year option agreement will be exercised after several pieces of the conservation project align.

“In order to conserve this precious property,” she wrote in a prepared statement, “the appraisal needs to confirm the sale price ($700,000) that has been negotiated. Next, the grant application submitted to the Land for Maine’s Future Program (LMF), an essential component of the project budget, needs to be approved. In April, Loon Echo submitted a $350,000 request to LMF, and the grant awards will be announced in late-July. If we’re successful in securing a LMF grant, we’ll launch a capital campaign, asking community members to generously gift or make a pledge of support to the $800,000 project. Loon Echo will close on the project and take fee ownership of the property if the funds are raised within one year.”

If they are successful in raising the money, Walia said, “our goal is to protect Hacker’s Hill in order to continue the traditional public access for the scenic viewing and recreational opportunities, as well as for the cultural, historical and economic purposes.”

Contacted Tuesday, Walia said she is optimistic her organization can rise to the challenge.

“I think it’s quite a good opportunity,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of work and effort to seek out donors, but we think we can do it.”

Great view

The parcel is one of the Lakes Region’s gems, beloved by tourists and locals alike for its views and easy access. Conrad Hall, whose family has owned the property since 1855, said he’ll continue to maintain the area throughout Loon Echo’s fundraising effort and hopes that the land trust, which would protect the public aspects of the site, is successful.

“The big reason it hasn’t sold yet isn’t because people weren’t interested,” Hall said. “People were interested but we didn’t want it developed. If we could have found a customer that would like to retain it for the public, that’s what we were looking for.”

Hall said he mainly wants it kept open to the public so they “can enjoy what I’ve enjoyed a good part of my life. It’s the spirituality of the place that I want people to experience,” he said.

Aside from the expansive view of forests and lakes, there are several religious items, including a cross and worship areas, atop the hill where churches hold worship services. If the land trust is able to purchase the property, Walia said, she “hopes that can continue. I don’t think there’d be any problem but I don’t know all the details.” Some of the funding might come from government sources, she said, which could impact the religious aspects of the site.

Good timing

Walia said the land trust, which already protects 3,000 acres in the greater Lakes Region via outright ownership or by conservation easement, is “winding down” two other capital campaigns this summer and will focus on Hacker’s Hill campaign starting in June, when a committee of Casco and Raymond conservation leaders will convene to begin their fundraising. One of the likely committee members, Grant Plummer of Casco, is ready to get going.

“I’m excited,” Plummer said. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for the communities. It gives the public a fantastic vantage point.”

With the option agreement between the land trust and the Hall family being signed Tuesday, May 17, a warrant article has been prepared for Casco’s annual town meeting Wednesday, June 8, asking voters to donate $75,000 from a $120,000 land acquisition/easement account for the Hacker’s Hill project.

“The voters have set aside $20,000 to $30,000 a year for several years so we already have the money in a capital account. So, I would think this $75,000 ought to be a real easy sell,” Plummer said. “The Hall family has been very gracious to take care of that property for so long now, and I think it would be crazy not to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Hacker’s Hill may be the closest thing Casco has to a tourist attraction, as well. On a nice weekend in the summer, hundreds of people visit the hill. While there are no businesses on the site or within a short distance of the hill, nearby Route 302 is a major thoroughfare.

“The full panoramic view of mountains, lakes and greenery or fall foliage is a prime tourist attraction that draws many visitors and serves to underscore our unique identity as the Lake Region of Maine,” said Jim Mains, executive director of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. “Hacker’s Hill should be protected for public use not only because of its immense beauty, but also because it helps to define Western Maine to all of us: visitors and residents alike.”

The Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce’s Sue Bonior adds, “We’ve recommended Hacker’s Hill first and foremost to our visitors because of its magnificent view of our region and its accessibility to everyone. There is a direct economic link, more than any other landmark in our region.”

Hacker’s Hill in Casco (Staff photo by John Balentine)