Does the Portland Water district own the Northeast Road? I don’t think so! It was only three years ago, during the Sheesley-Abbott fiasco that the District wanted to give the town of Standish $2.4 million to spend on a new boat launch and beach. It was clearly stated in the agreements to be signed by both the town and the District that not one dollar of that money was to be expended until the town turned over its rights in the rangeway. What has changed that makes the District now think it owns what it was willing to pay millions of dollars for three years ago?
I also take issue with calling that portion of the Northeast Road starting at Route 35 and continuing to the lake “Northeast Road Extension.” The Northeast Road has been laid out within the eight-rod-wide rangeway, which runs from the intersection of Route 25 at Standish Corner to Sebago Lake. Some might imply by the use of the term “Northeast Road Extension” that the portion of the road between Route 35 and the lake was somehow added onto the Northeast Road, when in fact it has been part of the road and within the rangeway since the town of Standish was laid out by the Proprietors.
It appears that the district would like to wipe from townspeople’s minds that Sebago Lake Village was once a lively point of destination for tourists as well as commerce and that the Northeast Road along with the rail line played a huge part in it all.
Louis Stack
Standish
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