Some residents in Harpswell are offering the town $2 million if it limits commercial use of Mitchell Field, a 118-acre waterfront property.
The Harpswell Coastal Coalition wants to prohibit heavy industry, like liquefied natural gas terminals, from the site and plans to present its $2 million offer to town selectmen this Thursday, the Portland Press Herald reported. The coalition would need two to three years to raise the $2 million, the paper reported.
Town residents in November 2007 approved a master plan for Mitchell Field that set aside nine acres for commercial development, the area that the Harpswell Coastal Coalition wants to protect. East Boothbay tugboat maker Washburn & Doughty last year hoped to relocate to the site, but faced opposition from some local residents.
