The Maine Department of Transportation might be finished clear-cutting trees along Interstate 295 in Frreeport, but Freeport residents and their state and town government representatives want the agency to mitigate the damage.

Toward that end, Freeport Rep. Sara Gideon, the House assistant majority leader, has invited a Department of Transportation representative to the Freeport Town Council’s District 1 workshop, scheduled for June 16 at the Freeport Community Library, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Town Council will conduct its regular meeting at the Town Hall, following the workshop.

Gideon said that as of late last week, she had no commitment from the state to attend the meeting.

“We’d like the DOT to do site walks, take questions at the meeting and then mitigate,” Gideon said. “Planting will help with the noise, and also with the visual impact. I’ve been in conversations with the commissioner (David Bernhardt) and with senior staff on the June 16 meeting.”

Freeport residents affected by the clear-cutting, particularly in the Pine, Elm and Oak street neighborhoods, have been complaining about the added noise from I-295 traffic and visibility issues since the cutting began in early May. The Department of Transportation, which is not required to notify the town when it cuts trees along the highway, says the cutting was overdue, and that it was necessary to allow sunlight onto the highway, particularly in the winter, when snow and ice are safety issues for motorists.

“I’ve been in touch with the DOT quite a bit,” Gideon said. “The DOT and I have different perspectives – their purview is about safety, with issues like vision, ice and fallen trees. I contacted the DOT as soon as cutting started. It was a shock to wake up and see Exit 22, and all the clear-cutting. There was no way I could stop it, so the next issue is addressing people’s quality of life.”

Gideon said that the state’s cutting along I-295 in Freeport was anything but discretionary.

“It’s clear-cutting,” she said. “It’s just really a shame.”

The town, meanwhile, plans to use contingency funds to build a berm near the end of the town’s right of way off Pine Street, and perhaps plant evergreen trees. Scott Gleeson, Town Council vice chairman and District 1 representative, has been talking with his constituents on the matter.

Gleeson added the clear-cutting issue as a discussion item to the agenda for the May 20 council meeting.

“My constituents are frustrated,” Gleeson said during the meeting. “The clear-cutting is obvious at the end of Elm Street. It’s been a pretty traumatic thing.”

Council Chairwoman Melanie Sachs has been in touch with Gideon. They want the state to tour the area that has been clear-cut and listen to residents, Sachs said.

“Most of the mitigation is going to have to be on their side of the fence,” Sachs said.

Town Manager Peter Joseph said that Al Presgraves, the town engineer, asked the Department of Transportation to reconsider the scope of its I-295 project before it began.

“It was pointed out that there would be an awful lot of angry people if this went forward,” Joseph said. “Some people say the cutting went onto their property. It’s kind of like taking a sledge hammer to do finish carpentry work.”

Stumps remain after the Department of Transportation cleared trees along Interstate 295 in Freeport, next to Pine Street.Staff photo by Larry Grard

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