FREEPORT – Facing a decision to either rid the town of a valuable piece of property or foot the bill for improvements, the Freeport Town Council last week gave the go-ahead to obtaining necessary environmental permits for the Pownal Road fields.

The move comes after nearly two years of debate as the council wrestled with various options for the 7-acre property, included divesting the land to Regional School Unit 5 or allowing the field to turn to meadow.

According to Freeport Town Manager Peter Joseph, the permitting does allow for future development projects, including walking trails and additional parking.

Joseph said the total price tag of the project would be $171,000, which includes engineering costs, permitting fees for the Department of Environmental Protection, and storm water improvements for both the Hedgehog Mountain Road recreation area and an existing parking lot abutting the fields.

A state review of the site was triggered after the council rejected a proposed project from Seacoast United Maine to create an indoor soccer facility. The soccer club had sought to acquire land from the town between the Pownal and Hunter road fields to create a complex with both outdoor and indoor soccer fields. However, public sentiment was strongly against the indoor soccer facility, leading the council to reject the proposal. The state requires a Department of Environmental Protection permit for projects that exceed 20 acres in size. The Hunter Road facility is 19.98 acres as it has been developed.

When the town decided to hold onto the land, it meant that the state considered the Pownal and Hunter road sites as one, which pushed the size above 20 acres and triggered the state review. If the Seacoast project had gone through as planned, a state permit would have still been required, but it would have been paid for by Seacoast United.

The town was given two choices by the state: either submit to state review, or divest itself of a portion of the land, bringing the project back under the 20-acre threshold.

The council has explored a number of scenarios for the property, including transferring ownership to Regional School Unit 5 with the stipulation that the fields be transferred back to the town if the school district disbanded. But at a meeting on July 10, councilors voted 6-1 against the proposed transfer, instead electing to hold onto the property for future town use.

While officials with RSU 5 were receptive to the idea of owning and operating the fields, residents of Pownal and Durham would be on the hook for any future costs of upkeep of the property. Both towns have expressed dissatisfaction with the complicated funding formula of the four-year-old school district.

With a 4-1 vote on Feb 26, the councilors effectively and convincingly took the divestment option off the table, a move not applauded by all but supported by the majority of residents who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.

“The taxpayers were not in favor of divesting the property,” said Council Chairman James Hendricks. “They wanted to maintain control, as the town is still paying for it.”

The council’s decision provides a measure of closure on the immediate fate of the property.

“It’s been a confusing and complex issue,” said Joseph. “We now have a direction in which to go in.”