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Waterboro Preps For a New Economy

April 15, 2009 - WATERBORO -- Selectwoman Tammy Jo Girard wants the town of Waterboro – the second fastest-growing town in Maine – to be ready when the housing and job market starts to improve.

In a move to make sure Waterboro is well-poised to meet the challenges of the future, Girard’s colleagues on the board supported her proposal to form an economic development committee and appointed six people to the seven-member committee March 31.

The committee’s first meeting will be Thursday, April 16, at 3:30 p.m., at Raven Hill Orchard on Ossipee Hill Road.

Girard said after the meeting she proposed the idea because the town’s leaders need to look at what is driving the tax base, explore a way to be more economically self-sufficient and make more services available locally. Creating jobs that will keep residents closer to home rather than commuting to Portland or Boston is also a goal.

Girard said the economic downturn can't last forever, and believes it isn’t a matter of if the economy improves, but when.

“As the economy bounces back, housing will improve and Waterboro again will be in the throes of increased residential development and growth,” said Girard, “setting in motion the challenge for our town’s leadership to manage a growing community’s needs.”

“How can we get businesses back into town. What as a town are we doing well, and what do we need to improve,” said Girard about the committee’s mission.

She said Waterboro has a tremendous amount of recreational opportunities with Little Ossipee Lake, an active snowmobile club and hiking opportunities, "yet it isn't a resource we've tapped into. What businesses could benefit from our resources and how do we attract them?"

According to information Girard compiled from U.S. Census Bureau data, Waterboro saw an increase in growth of 486 percent, equal to more than 5,000 residents, between 1960 and 2000.

As the population grew, so did the need for additional services. Girard found through her research that the volume of calls increased for public safety responders and the transfer station saw a growth in refuse and the cost to dispose of waste. The larger population also increased the student body in School Administrative District 57, resulting in the need for larger schools, more teachers and more funding.

Girard thinks diversification is the key to success.

“If residential growth is the only growth our community sees over the next decade, our town will suffer,” said Girard.

According to Girard, Waterboro’s average home is valued at $157,600, with a tax bill of $1,639, based on 4,203 residences. In comparison, there are only 101 business properties in town, which are, on average, valued at $393,600 with an average tax bill of $4,093.

Waterboro, she said, needs to look at ways to increase the business base once the economy turns around. Waterboro will have to be poised to offer a friendly business climate and be prepared to attract new businesses to help offset the residential tax base.

“I see this as being a 3-step process,” said Girard. “In order for us to make Waterboro an attractive location for business we need to start with an inventory.”

She said among the questions to be addressed at the outset are:

• What commercial properties are or will be available, including both developed and undeveloped properties, and what do they have to offer?

• What does Waterboro have to offer in terms of work force, services and natural resources?

• What does Waterboro need to offer to make the community more attractive?

• What are other successful towns and cities using for an economic development model?

A second step would involve reviewing the town’s Comprehensive Plan, with which any economic development plan should be consistent. Promotion of the final economic development plan and maintaining it is key, said Girard, in order for the plan to work in the long term.

Led by Town Planner Tom Ursia, the Economic Development Committee includes five representatives from a cross-section of local businesses, two residents and a member of the Waterboro Board of Selectmen. The advisory board will report to the Waterboro Board of Selectmen.


The new members are:

• Leo Binette, co-owner of Lakeside Market and vice president of the Waterboro Association of Businesses.

• Kerry DeAngelis, a self-employed graphic designer who owns KL Design & Marketing. She was the co-founder of the Waterboro Reporter newspaper and president of Waterboro Association of Businesses (WAB), a group of local businesses similar to a chamber of commerce.

• Steve Eveld, owner of Raven Hill Orchard & Farm/Coffeehouse on Ossipee Hill Road. Eveld is also a member of Waterboro Association of Businesses.

• Douglas C. Foglio Sr, owner of Foglio Inc. an excavation company. Foglio is the president of the local land trust and former selectman.

• Dianne Holden, a Realtor with Agency 1 Realty, which is a member of Waterboro Association of Businesses.

• Susan Rocray of Biddeford Savings Bank.

“Looking at the six we have here, we have a good start,” said Selectwoman Cindy Moore at the meeting.

By Ann Fisher
Reporter – The Reporter , April 9, 2009


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Regions: Sanford


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