The Kennebunkport Conservation Trust has had remarkable success acquiring and saving land from development. From the islands of Cape Porpoise Harbor to the meadows and streams of the Emmons Preserve, the KCT now holds vast acreage within the community and we are all grateful for this.
Recently, the Trust accepted about $1 million to rebuild on its original site the Olde Grist Mill, a 250-year old tidal mill which was owned continuously by the Perkins family until its destruction by arson in the 1990’s.
Another million dollars will be used to reconstruct an enclosed shed linking the Goat Island Lighthouse to the lighthouse-keeper’s home. The shed or one like it was destroyed by a storm decades ago. The Coast Guard, its prior owner, wisely decided not to rebuild it.
When these decisions were made to invest in buildings rather than land, financial times were bullish. The Trust even found the funds to erect granite markers denoting some of its holdings which is a far cry from the hand-painted sign which used to signify the entrance to the Trust headquarters on Gravelley Brook Road, the only unpaved public road in Kennebunkport. Times are different today and the economic climate is less certain.
Now we read that the Trust is desperately seeking about $1 million in order to buy land and an island off Goose Rocks Beach and Biddeford’s Granite Point, called Timber Point. This 110-acre parcel, which includes Timber Island, is described as one of the last large parcels of land under single ownership along the coastline between Kittery and Cape Elizabeth. The $1 million to be raised is only a portion of the roughly $5 million price tag. The partnership attempting to buy the property includes the KCT, the Trust for Public Land, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of Rachel Carson and Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
The clock is running down on the acquisition deadline, September 15.
Sometime during the last 10 years the KCT began a new quest. The organization expanded its mission from simple land acquisition to include preservation and maintenance of properties which reflect the heritage of the town. It was at this divergence, when the mission was expanded, when some began to question the core principals of the beloved land conservation organization.
One wonders why an organization devoted to saving and acquiring land would get into the business of restoring and maintaining historic properties in the first place. Organizations which are in that business could probably advise why they are getting out of doing this very thing.
The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) adopted a policy some 20 years ago not to accept donations of property without an endowment. This non-profit, which owns dozens of historic residences throughout New England, recognized its inability to raise enough funds to maintain the properties it wants to preserve. Kennebunk’s Brick Store Museum reluctantly but wisely decided to sell the Edith Barry home on Summer Street. Maintenance costs for the house threatened the organization’s ability to operate its museum and house its collection.
We can all hope that some generous benefactor will come forward to ensure the deserving preservation of Timber Point and Timber Island. Maybe the KCT will rediscover the value of saving land for wildlife and limited public use. There aren’t any other organizations standing in the wings, prepared to make major land acquisitions here. The townspeople of Kennebunkport need a KCT recommitted and dedicated to saving land, not buildings.
