Comprehensive Plan 2020 with Goals and Appendix.Pdf
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Comprehensive Plan 2020 Prepared by the Denmark Comprehensive Plan Committee In Conjunction with the Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission Town of Denmark Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents 1. History of the Town of Denmark………………………………………… ……... 1 2. Population and Demographics…………………………………………...............15 3. Local Economy…………..………………………………………………...……....18 4. Housing………….………………………………………………………… ……... 22 5. Transportation……….……………………………………………………. ……... 31 6. Natural Resources…………..…………………………….………………. ……... 41 7. Government & Fiscal Capacity……………………………………………………65 8. Public Facilities and Services……………………………………….......... ……... 73 9. Land Use……….………….……………………………………………..... ……... 96 10. Future Land Use Plan……………………………………………………………...101 Vision and Purpose The Town of Denmark Comprehensive Plan is a reference document designed to guide the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, and growth and development of the community. It reflects upon the town’s history and notes changes over time in land use, natural resources, community services, and population characteristics. The plan is a blueprint that identifies and describes goals, objectives and options for meeting current and future needs, thereby ensuring quality of life for all residents. History of The Town of Denmark, Maine Introduction Denmark is situated on the east bank of the Saco River in Oxford County, and is a hilly community replete with a mountain, lakes, ponds and streams within its boundaries. Earliest Settlers While there is no known documentation of settlement by indigenous peoples, nearby communities have a documented history of a community with homes and farming. There may have been trails for people to pass through the area to hunt, fish and travel to and from the coast to the western border. Land Titles, Boundary Changes and Settlement The town of Denmark is formed by various land grants - Fryeburg Academy Grant, Pleasant Mountain Gore and Foster’s Grant. Pleasant Mountain Gore, containing about 9000 acres, was granted by the General Court of Massachusetts to Fryeburg Academy and forms the eastern portion of the town. In a description of a survey of this tract, 2000 acres were reserved for Asahel Foster, the same being a grant to him from the General Court; 648 acres were surveyed to Gideon Lowell, 200 acres to David Porter, 300 acres to Ichabod Warren, and 590 acres to the trustees of Fryeburg Academy. This, it seems, comprised only a portion of The Gore. In 1805 Oxford County was created from both Cumberland and York Counties by the State of Massachusetts. See Massachusetts Acts Chapter 24, Sections 1 & 2 Pages 573 – 574. In 1806 the town of Brownfield was reconstructed, by the acts to incorporate both Denmark and Hiram. Many of the land titles issued to settlers in this section thus acquired were from Henry Y. B. Osgood, grandson of Captain Brown, the grantee. The area of land east of the Saco River was set off to Denmark. Many families who were previously Brownfield residents now found themselves residing in the new community of Denmark. The land from Rocky Knoll Road to Bull Ring Road, once belonging to Brownfield, now became a part of Denmark. In 1830 Denmark gained land from Sebago in the area near Hancock Pond. See Maine Private Acts Chapter 115 Page 194. In 1847, a portion of the land in Denmark, in the western section of town near present-day Route 302 area, and Fryeburg were annexed to the town of Bridgton. Before this time the land at Pleasant Mountain and Moose Pond belonged to Denmark. See Maine Laws Chapter 84 Section 1 Pages 110 – 111. Early Settlement The first influx of European settlers arrived between 1775 and 1810. Daniel Boston or Baston arrived with his family in 1780 to live along the banks of the Saco River. The area of his former home is now known as the Boston Hills. Other families moving to the area were Timothy and Mary Cutler, David Porter, Ichabod Warren, Gideon Lowell, Isaac Berry, Enoch Perley, Nathaniel Symonds, Elias Berry, Tyler Porter, Town of Denmark Comprehensive Plan Chapter 1: History of the Town of Denmark, Maine 1 | P a g e Cyrus Ingalls, Jedediah Long, Joshua Ames, Samuel Richardson, Joseph Walker, Samuel Trumbull, Stephen Fessenden, Benjamin Harnden, James Head, Obadiah True, Thomas Pingree, James Alexander, Perley Bennett, Moses Bennett, Robert Deering, Ephraim Jewett, Francis McKusick and others were among the earliest men, who with their families, began to settle in Denmark. A few descendants of these families continue to live in Denmark today. With population growth and added land area, the men of this community decided to petition the state to incorporate so that the town could enjoy the privileges of citizenship, enable the town to raise funds to build roads and schools. Incorporation Denmark was incorporated February 29, 1807 in the county of Oxford and state of Massachusetts. From the Act of Incorporation: …that part of the “Academy Grant” in Pleasant Mountain Gore and Foster’s Grant in said County of Oxford, and all the land contained within the following boundaries, viz: Beginning at the Northeast Corner of Fryeburg, and running South by Bridgton, to the Baldwin line, then South 60 rods to a Beech Tree marked I.I.E.B.J.A.D.H. 1808, south 87 degrees West 1300 rods to a Red Oak Tree marked 1808 D.J.A. I.P.H. standing on the bank of the Saco River opposite the Brownfield line, then up by said River to a Pine Tree marked thus: A.N.I.S.I.F.B., thence north 12 degrees West 815 rods to a Maple Tree by Pleasant Pond, thence Northward by the pond aforementioned to the Fryeburg line, thence North forty-three and a half degrees East by Fryeburg to the first boundary, thence North forty-three and a half degrees East by Fryeburg to the first boundary together with the inhabitants thereon be and hereby are incorporated into a town by the name of “Denmark”. A framed copy of the Act of Incorporation hangs in the clerk’s office in the municipal building. View of Denmark Village from Pickett Hill. Photo courtesy of Denmark Historical Society Town of Denmark Comprehensive Plan Chapter 1: History of the Town of Denmark, Maine 2 | P a g e Naming of Denmark Residents of Denmark had selected several names for their new town before travelling to the legislative session to incorporate the town. These names were not recorded and have been lost to time. When the delegation attended the incorporation ceremony in the legislature, the governor selected the town’s name as Denmark. Over time speculation has risen over the origin of the name Denmark. Denmark is not a Danish community. There are several other communities in Maine that are named after cities and countries from other regions in the world. It is not known whether or not the town was named with these other communities in mind. At present, members of the community and state government cannot agree on why the name Denmark was chosen. Municipal Government The warrant calling the first town meeting was issued by Joseph Howard, and directed to Cyrus Ingalls, Esq. The meeting was called to assemble March 23rd at the schoolhouse, at one o’clock in the afternoon in 1807. At the meeting, $1000 was appropriated by vote for roads (including $1 a day for labor), $300 for schools and $100 for defraying town charges. A vote was taken not to raise money for preaching that year. Cyrus Ingalls and Joshua Ames were chosen for a committee to settle land boundaries with Brownfield and Hiram. The first town house was built on the lot near the Congregational Church. In 1891, this building was taken down and rebuilt into the town house on Mill Hill, on the former schoolhouse lot. This structure is now owned by a private landowner. The first evaluation of properties in town was completed by an outside agency in 1910. At town meeting in 1918 $300.00 was raised for streetlights. The following year, in 1919, $175.00 was raised to continue the streetlight work. At the 1950 town meeting the Australian Ballot method of voting was approved. This is the first time that a secret ballot was used in voting in Denmark. In 1951, the first budget committee was elected. In 1953 the town voted down the town manager form of government, and in 1959 it voted to have calendar-year accounting system, closing its books at the end of December. In 1962, townspeople voted to change town meeting to the second Saturday of March. Now having set up its form of government and accounting system, the town focused on establishing a fire-proof vault to safely store its documents. The construction of the town’s fire-proof vault was completed in 1966. Town records and the clerk’s office moved from the town house to the vault by the end of 1967. The vault became known in the community as the town office. It was situated between the present-day fire department and the former Village Store. When the clerk’s office moved to the Municipal Building in 1989 the vault was removed by the public works department. Today the town office is located in the former Denmark Village School. The building was renovated in 1989 to accommodate the town’s needs. The town reconfigured the building, constructed offices and public meeting rooms, creating what is now known as the Municipal Building. Between 2017 and 2019 the building underwent renovations and the parking area was enlarged and paved. Town of Denmark Comprehensive Plan Chapter 1: History of the Town of Denmark, Maine 3 | P a g e The first town manager, who began his duties June 1, 2006 was Bertrand D. Kendall. This same year, the town hired its first Assessor, William Healey. In 2019 William Healey remains as the town’s Assessor and Bertrand Kendall is presently our interim town manager.