NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Town of Raymond, Maine 04071 U.S. POSTAGE PAID RAYMOND, ME PERMIT #11 The Raymond ECRWSS Road Runner A Raymond School District & Town of Raymond Publication http://www.raymondmaine.org Volume VII, Issue VII POSTAL CUSTOMER NOVEMBER 2004 It’s Time To Plan For Raymond’s Future By: Robert Faunce, Town Planner Raymond. As town planner, I believe that what is often called “sprawl.” The first three figures are based on data Maps by: Elisa Trepanier, GIS Coordinator one of the most important of these issues A community like Raymond will not from actual USGS maps, while the fourth is the impact of explosive residential change from rural to suburban overnight, (2001) uses tax records to add those resi- You, the residents of Raymond, de- growth on Raymond’s traditional rural but the distinction between the rural and dences constructed between 1975 and serve a collective pat on the back for over- character. suburban areas of the community is be- 2001. whelmingly approving the new comprehen- As illustrated in Figure 1, between coming less clear with every passing year. The 1892-1894 map shows a typical sive plan at the October 14 Special Town 1990 and 2000, Raymond’s population Because this change is not crashing upon rural agricultural land use pattern. Build- Meeting. The plan offers a guide to elected grew 30%, which is higher than any other us but instead moving steadily and force- ings are spread out and are mostly farms and appointed officials and the public for town in the region (Raymond, Bridgton, fully, it is sometimes hard to comprehend that are separated from each other by agri- updating ordinances and procedures, mod- Casco, Harrison, Naples, Windham, Gray, the degree of change that has taken place. cultural fields. You will note that there is ernizing local government and planning for New Gloucester and Poland) and much To get a better sense of this change, it almost no shoreline development, even on the future. higher than Cumberland County or the is helpful to understand where Raymond Sebago Lake. In my view, it’s a good, solid plan that state as a whole. The number of year round was just a short time ago. Until relatively The 1941 map shows the beginnings challenges the many critical issues facing housing units in Raymond grew 37% dur- recently Raymond was a small rural agri- of lakeside development, but the numbers ing this same period, which was more than cultural community. In 1900 there were and locations of buildings along town roads 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 virtually no seasonal really had not changed much in the inter- 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567Road Runner Articles Due 8 homes, and it wasn’t vening 50 years. Physically, Raymond 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1Articles234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 for the next edition of the 8 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 until the 1930’s and probably looked very much the same as it 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1Road234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Runner newsletter are due by the 8 1940’s that the sea- did in 1892. 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1last234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Thursday of November. Please pro- 8 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 sonal home and sum- By 1975, two growth trends had 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1vide234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 them by any of the following meth- 8 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 mer camp sectors be- emerged. The popularity of the town’s six 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1ods:2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 gan to grow. By the great ponds had grown to the point where 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1E-Mail;234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 Diskette; Paper; CDROM 8 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1970’s the growth in as much as half their combined shoreline 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1Articles234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 should be submitted in RTF and 8 recreational use of was developed, and most of the current road 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1pictures234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 in JPEG format. E-mail ar- 8 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 Raymond’s lakes was network serving seasonal homes was in 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1ticles234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 and pictures to: 8 matched by develop- place. Perhaps more significantly, there 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 [email protected] 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 ment of year-round was a substantial increase in homes along 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1or234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 drop them off at the Town Office or 8 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 residences. Now town roads that did not reflect the tradi- 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 1at234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567 one of the school offices. 8 Raymond appears to tional rural agricultural template. 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 be one of the most The 2001 map shows a significant In This Issue desirable residential strengthening of these trends. The map markets in the region, indicates that between 1975 and 2001, 953 News From The Raymond Village Library ............................................ 2 Figure 1: Raymond Population Growth as evidenced by its residences were added to the community, Library Annual Meeting .......................................................................... 3 (* State Planning Office Projection) skyrocketing popula- a 60% increase in just 26 years. In fact, Library Survey ......................................................................................... 3 tion and housing these maps may present an even more tell- Municipal News Brief ............................................................................. 5 Raymond Passes Comp Plan, Delays TV Studio ................................... 5 all towns in the region save New growth rates. ing statistic. While it took 171 years to Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee ................................. 5 Gloucester and again, much greater than Perhaps the best way to understand reach the 673 building threshold shown on Raymond Fire/Rescue .............................................................................. 6 the county or the state. what has, and is, happening in Raymond is the 1942 map, it required only an additional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program ................................. 6 Does it seem to you that Raymond has to see it visually. We are very fortunate in six decades to nearly quadruple the build- Recent Activities Of RWPA ...................................................................... 7 grown so quickly in so short a period of that we have a trove of United States Geo- ing stock. Although seasonal residences Home Heating Assistance. ....................................................................... 8 time? Probably not because these new logical Survey (USGS) maps going back as represent a significant portion of this Reduce Your Property Taxes!!! ................................................................ 8 homes are not concentrated in a few areas far as 1892 that document the locations of growth, we need to bear in mind that many Raymond Recreation Basketball ............................................................. 8 JSMS Yearbook Costume Party A Big Success ...................................... 8 but have diffused throughout the commu- principal structures, such as homes, in the of these summer cottages have been, and Aquatics Programs At St. Joseph’s College ........................................... 8 nity. But you probably have noticed that community. will continue to be, converted to year-round Raymond Recreation Friday Night Skiing ............................................. 8 there are more driveways, more traffic, Figures 2-5 show the number and lo- use. Raymond REC Citrus Fundraiser .......................................................... 9 more lights and perhaps less wildlife where cations of seasonal and year-round dwell- Windham Center Stage Theater .............................................................. 9 you live than just a few years ago. This is ings