RAYMOND – Nearly a year after Frye Island put forth a proposal to the Raymond Planning Board to create a parking lot on the mainland across from the ferry landing, concerned island residents say that viable alternatives should be explored before any tax money is spent and trees felled.

A public forum on the divisive issue was held last Saturday, Aug. 24, and saw a turnout of about 130 islanders and other concerned citizens, who provided insight regarding a parking lot plan that town officials claim would allow a safe, off-street space for vehicles to form queues during peak ferry usage.

“It was a huge turnout,” said Chris Gruner, who has lived on the island for 22 years.

“The reaction was very strong,” he said of the meeting. “Some people are in favor of the project, and some people are not; but a clear majority of the people stood up and did not want the project to continue,” Gruner said.

The proposed plan includes a ring road that would incorporate nearby Quarry Cove Road and circle back to Cape Road. This, some believe, is a preferable method of dealing with traffic congestion versus vehicles waiting along Cape Road, which is narrow and curvy.

The new lot would create 43 parking spaces on a portion of 25 acres of land purchased by Frye Island in 2005 for nearly $275,000. Some Raymond Cape residents and Frye Islanders said the project would be too costly for the town and would cause, rather than alleviate, safety issues. Islanders also worry about the future expansion of the parking area.

“We don’t believe it’s safe and we don’t believe it solves any particular problem,” Gruner said.

According to Frye Island Town Manager Wayne Fournier, the parking lot would allow for future population growth on the island that has about 550 homes. He estimates that 10-12 new homes are being constructed each year. At that rate, he said the island would reach a total build-out of 750 homes within about 20 years.

Longtime Frye Island resident Reba Orszag says 250 homes on the island are “buildable” lots and 55 homes on the island are for sale.

“We cannot predict the economy and its impact on seasonal homes; nor can we predict mortgage rates in the future,” Orszag said. “We also cannot predict if there will be other options for travel to the island in the forthcoming decades.”

Alternatives

Betsy Gleysteen, a longtime Frye Island resident, says residents are not entirely against the proposal. Instead, she said, islanders would like to see Frye Island slow down the process and consider alternative solutions.

“Our group is not saying no way, never,” Gleysteen said Tuesday. “It may appear there is a ‘for’ and ‘against’ and a ‘win’ and a ‘lose,’” she said, “but we just want to talk about priorities.”

As decided at Saturday’s forum, voters at annual town meeting in October will have the opportunity to decide whether to proceed with the project, Gleysteen said.

While Raymond planners have not released a total cost estimate for the park-and-ride proposal, Orszag believes the project would create an unnecessary tax burden for islanders, and like other islanders, is skeptical of the town’s long-term plans.

Orszag, who first learned of the plan in summer 2012, along with other skeptical residents, formed Frye Islanders for Responsible Development – a group against the ring road and park-and-ride proposal. They hope to address the ring-road plan and offer the town different options, Orszag said.

“The scope of the plan and the costs seemed astronomical and I could not understand the logic,” Orszag said Tuesday, “And I still don’t.”

According to Orszag, Frye Island has spent nearly $90,000 for engineering plans and legal fees on the project, on top of what it cost to purchase the property.

“Costs are continuing to increase for the plans,” Orszag said. “In addition, should this plan come to fruition, there will be future ongoing costs such as increased taxes [paid] to the town of Raymond, electric bills due to lighting … and increased insurance costs for liability.”

“We are an island of 550 homes. How does a parking lot or 42 cars solve a problem of the cars queuing on Raymond Cape Road?” Orszag added.

Priorities

“I don’t believe this current plan alleviates the growth issue,” said Gleysteen, who has suggested longer, faster ferries that hold more vehicles and have ramps for loading and unloading. She believes while it would be expensive, it would speed up transportation to the island.

“Our group feels that a ferry system investment is preferable to the park-and-ride solution,” Gleysteen said.

Regarding safety, Gleysteen said instead of creating a ring road to address the occasional Cape Road congestion, islanders have set forth alternatives which include deputizing Frye Island Police to operate on the mainland to direct traffic during peak hours.

Another alternative to the proposal is to redirect cars to park on the right side of the Cape Road past the ferry landing versus in the entrance to the landing, Gleysteen said.

Islanders have also proposed using two ferries with three crews, which has been estimated to move 54 cars an hour, she said.

Gruner said the island attracted 1,550 cars on Independence Day weekend, which were handled well by the ferry system with minimum backup.

“Two boats were running and it was all done very well, very proficiently, professionally and safe. That is a lot of cars. If the [ring] road were built already, it would mean each one of those cars and every pedestrian would have had to cross over the Cape Road to get to the ferry landing,” Gruner said.

“That’s a potential safety hazard. Imagine that – all those cars crossing perpendicular on a road. And the Cape Road is narrow, and it curves. We don’t believe it solves a safety issue. The real issue is getting people on the island efficiently.”

Orszag said she believes Frye Island would not “be getting its money’s worth.” Resources are limited, she said, and having a parking lot on the mainland does not solve getting cars across Sebago Lake to the island.

“If those approaches are found to be ineffective and cars are frequently backing up, widen the ferry lanes … to double the number of cars that can queue,” Gleysteen added.

“People would still park on the Raymond Cape right-of-way, but you would be able to queue more cars,” she said.