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Committee assigns lake‑handbook items, shoreline articles and outreach after Wildewood commissioner resignation
Summary
Members assigned leads for a lake facts handbook, set shorefront outreach and March‑1 article deadlines, discussed a resigned Wildewood road commissioner and a proposed $4M lake‑quality bill, and planned materials for the March 13 Rome annual meeting.
At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Rome Water Quality Committee set multiple communications and content tasks aimed at public outreach and a lake facts handbook.
Michele Stafford and Cynthia Esthimer reported on coordination with regional resources such as Maine Lakes and the 7 LA annual report. The committee asked leads to email initial drafts for a lake facts handbook; Matt was assigned to lead one item, Michele will look into 7 LA materials for another, and Andy Cook offered a vegetation article on shoreline zoning. Cynthia will draft buffer guidance and Sharon was suggested as a possible contributor on invasive species summaries.
On public outreach, Cynthia Esthimer and Emilie van Eeghen agreed to write a Rome Reader article on shoreline best practices with a March 1 deadline; Esthimer and van Eeghen will also prepare a March Rome Reader item with links and next steps. The committee underscored maintaining a camp‑road association contact list to disseminate management updates.
Michele reported that the Wildewood road commissioner who had promised an article has resigned; the committee asked whether Stuart could produce a 300–400 word letter instead, and Matt agreed to follow up with Stuart. Pete Kalin noted that septic systems do not eliminate nitrogen and that camp roads are more likely to affect phosphorus in lakes, reinforcing the need for tailored outreach.
Members noted a bill introduced to provide $4 million for lake water quality, proposing to use unclaimed bottle deposits (about $2 million currently held by the bottle industry), but minutes record that the funding has not been approved in prior years.
Committee housekeeping included a brief 7 LA update from M. Farragher, a request for feedback on Cynthia’s draft water‑quality summary for the Rome Annual Report, and plans to bring multiple copies of 7 LA and Maine Lakes materials to the town annual meeting on March 13. The next committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11 at 4:00 p.m.
