By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

When one types “Bridgton economic development” into Internet search engines, the first listing to appear is Bridgton Economic Development Corp.

Trouble is, the BEDC website is out of date (dominated by items dated 2014), and while the group is still functioning — it has been revitalized and members are currently focusing on options for the Bridgton Memorial School property — those inquiring about Bridgton as a possible landing spot for their business have been left hanging.

Selectman Bear Zaidman heard from one individual who had an eye on Bridgton as a business location, but never received a follow-up call or e-mail from the BEDC.

Zaidman feels Bridgton can’t afford to miss out such economic development opportunities, and suggested Tuesday night to the board ask the BEDC to relinquish the website to the town or at the very least include a link on that site directing traffic to the town’s webpage.

New Community Development Director Linda Lacroix prefers to be the main contact for those taking a look at Bridgton as a business destination. She has reached out to the BEDC about developing a “partnership” between her office and the corporation.

Board Chairman Lee Eastman added a little historical background noting that he was president of the BEDC when it first formed. The purpose was to form a separate entity that could secure grants to address possible environmental problems at the old school site (although still owned by SAD 61, there has been longstanding talks regarding the property being turned over to the town).

Town Manager Bob Peabody feels that through conversations between Lacroix and BEDC members, “we’ll be able to work things out.”

“You don’t want to lose engaged people, but we want to be able to work together,” Peabody said.

“We need to get on the same bus,” Eastman said. He noted that the board took some public heat for failing to settle on a Community Development Director for an extended time, but that officials wanted to find someone who would be a “good fit” for Bridgton, which also means someone who could bring other groups together to work as one as the town heads down a new economic development road.

“We need to take a step back and look at the big picture, which is what we are doing,” Lacroix added.

In other business,

Woods Pond’s health. Two key components to the overall health of a lake or pond are water quality and erosion control.

To keep Woods Pond pristine, the local Association has been vigilant to identify pollutants within the watershed.

Jeff Stern of the Woods Pond Water Quality Association gave selectmen a brief report of recent testing and watershed surveying.

“Erosion control is an important part of taking care of Maine’s lakes, Woods Pond included,” Stearns said.

A watershed survey was conducted in 2012, and results served as a “springboard” to fix the most severe erosion problems throughout the watershed, Stern said.

Starting in May 2019, eight volunteers (Carole Ayer, Cory Dunning, Ann Lasman, Hank Margolis, Kelly Margolis, Mary Maxwell, Jeff Stern and David Thorsen) evaluated erosion sites on roads, properties, driveways and trails. Stearns said recommendations were made to fix each problem site. The group also rated the impact on the lake.

“Polluted runoff and the nutrients (principally phosphorus) that attach to eroded soil particles are the largest source of pollution to Maine’s lakes,” according to a laminated fact sheet Sterns handed out to officials. “Too much phosphorus entering a lake feeds algae growth to such an extent that algae can take over a lake and ruin water quality, recreation and even reduce shoreline property values.”

Margolis described the Association as “very active” to insure Woods Pond remains “clean and pristine.”

Volunteers identified 46 sites in the watershed that are “likely impacting or have the potential to impact water quality.”

Key findings included:

• Erosion sites were identified throughout the watershed on public and private land. Consequently, everyone has a role to play in lake protection.

• Residential sites made up the largest percentage of erosion sites that were found. While many of these sites are low impact, their cumulative impact can be significant. The good news is that many of these can be fixed easily with low-cost solutions.

• Many of the worst sites documented in the 2012 watershed survey that were subsequently fixed remain stable.

• The large timber cut that took place on the north end of the watershed led to serious erosion problems in the middle of the decade. It has largely grown back and stabilized.

The next step is to put a remediation plan into effect. The Association plans to make recommendations to each landowner on how to fix sites, and continue to work with Lakes Environmental Association and the town to address erosion sites (both public and private), while also taking steps to educate the general public. Grants could be targeted to help with the erosion control efforts.

Margolis noted that today’s high tech is also being incorporated into the lake protection effort. An “app” enables data to be collected regarding the number of boat inspections done at various sites as well as cases of invasive plants being found. Margolis said info sessions with property owners and the public regarding what invasive plants look like will also help in the fight.

“Find them early is better, cost less and gives you a better chance at eradication,” Margolis noted.

Opening up more market space. As locals look toward spring, so is Brenna Mae Googins of Patch Farm.

She appeared before selectmen Tuesday night seeking to regain more vendor space for the Bridgton Farmers’ Market.

Some space had been closed off as the town looked to re-seed. The closure pushed the Market to have some vendors work from space in front of the Bridgton Community Center. It also limited the number of vendors and tents (space had been set aside for the EBT booth, music and community groups like Rotary and LEA).

Googins said more vendors had inquired about joining the Market, but were turned away due to space limitations. She hopes that will change.

Selectmen agreed to allow the Market to utilize four quadrants, but there is a catch.

Selectman Bear Zaidman asked Googins that once the season (the outdoor Market goes from May to late October) is over could Market members put their green thumbs to work and grow some grass there. An agreement was struck.

Bid opening for the town-owned former First and Last Resort motel property on Route 302 will be this Friday at 2 p.m. Town Manager Bob Peabody informed selectmen that as of Tuesday, no bid had been received.

Appointments. Selectmen approved by 5-0 votes to name Mary Tworog to the Ordinance Review Committee and Kevin Raday to the Community Development Committee.

Upcoming meetings. The selectmen next meet on Feb. 11 and Feb. 25 at 5 p.m.