News

Gray Community Endowment receives land gift
By David Martineau
Gray--During the third annual Libby Hill Festival held on February 28th, 2004; the Libbey family announced the gift of an additional forty five acres of their family's land to the Gray Community Endowment. At the ceremony were Richard Libbey and his wife Nancy, Brother Wilbert Libby, his wife Sharon and their son Sean.

Above, L-R: Sharon Libby, Sean Liby, Wilbert Libbey, Richard Libbey, and Nancy Libby at the Libby Hill Festival honoring their contribution of land to the Gray Communtiy Endowment for recrational use.
The Monument: David Martineau photo

Two parcels of land comprising nineteen and twenty six acres will be added to the existing seventy acres that was given to the town of Gray in 1970. "We decided to give it directly to the Gray Community Endowment who has proven their ability to develop it for recreational use," commented Richard Libbey. "It is stated in the by-laws that if the Gray Community Endowment ever disbands, the land will be given to a conservancy or environmental group that would preserve it and not develop it."

Mr. Libbey shared his view on the development and use of the land during an interview conducted before the ceremony began. "We are not opposed to small structures such as warming huts for skiers; we would just like to limit the development to trail systems and small buildings that would support the area. The nineteen acre parcel would make a good logging tract, the income of which could be used by the endowment to further develop the recreation area."

Logging and utilizing the land to its fullest has been a Libby tradition for over 200 years according to Richard Libbey. "Title searches performed on the land that is being given showed that it was traded back and forth between the Libbeys for generations. That's how we paid for things back then when money was scare, we traded. Now we figured that it was the right time, and the right thing to do in giving the land to the Gray Community Endowment."

The Gray Community Endowment was organized approximately three years ago by Wayne and Anita Holmquist and has since led to the involvement of several of Gray's citizens, including Wayne's son Carl and Dan Walker. Mr. Walker, who is a current board member of the Endowment, expressed their mission as "a means to promote recreational opportunities within the town of Gray. We are hoping in the future to be able to make contributions in other areas."

More information on the Gray Community Endowment as an organization or on how to make a contribution to them can be gained by writing to Gray Community Endowment Corporation, P.O. Box 1376 Gray, Maine, 04039. Additional information on the Libby Hill recreation area can be found at their website at www.libbyhill.org, or through the Gray Parks & Recreation website at www.graymaine.org.