Article 25 on China’s June ballot asks voters whether they would like to sell a 40-acre piece of town-owned property (tax map 63, lot 008). I propose that we keep the land and create a park with trails and a picnic area.

We could call it Adams Memorial Park after Albert and Muriel (“Mother”) Adams, who were beloved members of the China community. They owned the land along with Candlewood Cabins, which they ran for almost 40 years. Subsequent owners of the property divided it, and, after failing to sell the parcel on the east side of Lakeview Drive, donated it to the town in 2016.

The 2020-2024 Maine State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) recognizes and highlights that “outdoor recreation is a major engine of economic activity and an incredible asset as communities strive to be healthy, vibrant places where people are excited to live, work, and play.”

Keeping the property has environmental benefits as well. Hunter Brook, which forms the eastern boundary of the property, flows into China Lake. Vegetated and unpaved areas filter stormwater runoff effectively and efficiently.

Protecting this property from development, also helps to protect the water quality in the lake, one of China’s most precious assets. Costs for creating and maintaining the park would come from TIF District funds and Maine grants. If we vote to sell this wooded area, we will lose an opportunity to provide future generations with a beautiful and useful community asset. Once it is sold, we will have no control over what becomes of it, and there is no turning back.

Vote “no” on Article 25, and preserve open space for the China community.

Janet Preston

China Village