Rangeley draft comp plan chapter highlights housing shortfalls, shoulder-season economy and recreation options

Rangeley — Town staff presented a near-final draft of the comprehensive plan’s public services and recreation chapter during the Feb. 3 Rangeley Select Board meeting, emphasizing housing shortages, shoulder-season economic strategies and recreational assets as priorities for refinement.

The draft chapter “is probably at about 95% in my opinion,” the presenter, Donna (staff member), told the board, adding that she planned to follow up with a small number of people to confirm assumptions before finalizing wording. “I’m gonna rework that a little bit to capture these comments,” she said of notes on shoulder-season activities and indoor options.

The chapter under review catalogs existing recreational facilities — including Aquatic Park and Rangeley Town Park — and lists possible shoulder-season and bad-weather attractions that business owners raised at a September meeting. Donna said the chapter currently mentions expanded indoor options such as additional bowling or a movie theater only as ideas raised by stakeholders and that she planned to soften or remove items that the committee did not deem necessary.

Why it matters: Board members and local business owners told the presenter that housing — including employee and temporary housing — and operating costs in the off-season pose a larger long-term constraint on the local economy than adding more weekend events. “We are lacking in people moving here and actually wanting to live here and work here,” one board member said during discussion; Donna acknowledged housing will be treated in more depth in a later chapter.

Key points and supporting details: - Housing: Donna said housing will be a central focus of the plan and that a more extensive housing section will follow in the next batch of chapters. Board members and business owners repeatedly told the presenter that all forms of housing — rentals, permanent homeownership and temporary/employee housing — are needed. - Shoulder season and indoor options: Business owners recommended more shoulder-season events and more indoor attractions for bad-weather days. Donna said those ideas came from a business-owner meeting and that she plans to reword the draft to reflect that the suggestions were proposals rather than recommendations already selected for implementation. - Economic data: The presenter cited taxable-sales figures for Rangeley showing growth she attributed to a combination of factors, including Saddleback’s reopening, COVID-era migration and improved broadband: “Taxable sales in 2019 were, like, around $39,000,000,” she said, and “in 2023, they were up to more like $65,000,000.” Donna also noted that Saddleback is located outside Rangeley in Sandy River Plantation but contributes to the regional economy. - Recreation inventory and corrections: Board members pointed out small inventory errors (for example, pickleball lines and disc golf at town parks) and Donna said she would correct those details. - Climate and weather data: Donna said she will add local climate and snowfall data from the National Weather Service station at the airport into the climate section and the recreation chapter.

Next steps: Donna said the planning committee meets the following day to work on additional chapters, and that the board’s timeline calls for a full package in early March so that a public hearing can be scheduled. “Joe has a date for me in early March that everything needs to be ready so that we can schedule a public hearing,” Donna said. She asked the board to send comments by the next committee meeting so edits can be incorporated while the material is fresh.

Meeting context: The discussion occupied a substantive portion of new-business time. Committee members and several select board members exchanged specific editing requests, corrections to recreation facility listings and broader policy priorities, especially around housing and shoulder-season economic supports.

Donna and the committee repeatedly framed the items as draft text and stakeholder input, not final action items; the board did not adopt policy changes during this discussion.