Tuning in to site plan board meeting

To the editor,

I watched the March 16 Kennebunk Site Plan Review Board meeting via live stream. The agenda item of note was the public hearing addressing the 9 Barnard Lane inn project proposed by applicants Kari and Randy Gates.

I was highly impressed by the demeanor of the board, town planner and town engineer as stress levels rose. Kari Gates and her representative were clearly unprepared. They were informed multiple times that important engineering and planning details were missing from required site plan documentation and the board and staff were concerned about those omissions. In response, Gates and her representative cried foul and claimed unfairness.

It was evident that the applicants needed to provide owed, required data. Instead, the applicant rudely and disrespectfully rebuked and chided the board and staff. As the evening progressed, there was an increasing degree of disdain on the part of the applicant and her representative that I’m sorry our board and staff had to deal with. It was highly inappropriate and discomforting to watch.

I applaud the board and town staff for their stances concerning the Barnard Tavern. They did not back down when they were offered promises vs. details in print. Requiring specifics and documentation is proper municipal governance. The board and staff are representing the interests of the town of Kennebunk now and into the future. The applicant should not be afforded any special considerations; this is a business and time and money must be spent on planning. Perhaps prior attention to detail could have saved the time that’s so precious now.

Finally, I was highly offended by Kari Gates’s arrogant assumption that meager public attendance meant the whole town favors her project and she doesn’t need to sweat details. Residents are concerned about this privatized, historic structure. And I assure you, you go down a bad path indeed when you assume people are not watching via Zoom or streaming. Kennebunk’s municipal government goes through great pains to assure that there is public access to meetings. We’re out there, tuning in and participating.

Kudos to the Site Plan Review Board and staff on this one.

Susan A. Bloomfield

West Kennebunk