Libra
Foundation interested in Gray agritourism venture Asks Council for zone change
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray--Craig Denekas, Vice-President of the Libra Foundation,
has asked Planner Dick Cahill and the Town Council
to review the zone uses in the Rural Residential and
Agricultural (RRA) District so they may begin an agricultural
tourism venture at one of their properties near in
East Gray.
Over
the past five years since the Libra Foundation purchased
the Pineland campus in New Gloucester, through their
real estate arm October Corporation, they have converted
it into a multi-use business and recreational campus.
They have also purchased many of the surrounding farms
that overlap into Gray and North Yarmouth and restored
them or continue to maintain current farm operations.
Above, The Merrill Farm, set amid green rolling
hills and nestled among working fields. Last May,
Mr. Craig Denekas of the Libra Foundation led a tour
of their holdings and invited the Gray Council, Pklanning
Board, Representatives and Senators, and other interested
citizens. He first began discussing the Foundation's
plans at that time to include the Merrill Farm in
a new venture.
The Monument: Prata file photo
One of Libra's missions is education and agricultural
preservation. To that end, they have asked that the
Gray Council review the RRA zone uses so they may
begin a venture known as "agricultural tourism."
In his letter, Mr. Denekas explained that "we
view agritourism as the linchpin for keeping several
farms now owned by October Corporation in Gray economically
viable."
The farmstop.com website explains that agritourism
is the crossroads of tourism and agriculture: when
the public visits farms, ranches or wineries to buy
products, enjoy entertainment, participate in activities,
eat a meal or spend the night. Right, The interior
of the newly restored Merrill Farm, an historic farm
and set of buildings in East Gray, one of the properties
that Libra owns. The Monument: Prata file photo
Jane Eckert is a sixth generation farmer's daughter
and owner of Farmstop.com, a comprehensive listing
of tourism related farming ventures in the United
States and Canada. She was also a speaker at Maine's
2003 Tourism Conference. Eckert says that, "Entertainment
farms are open to inviting the public to come outdoors,
buy local products, enjoy the farm experience, and
have opportunity for lodging and meals."
The uses in the RRA as outlined now accept B&B
lodging for only up to five and Mr. Denekas is asking
for a redefinition of uses to change that to "Agritourism
accommodations: a building or group of buildings in
which is provided overnight lodging facilities, private
assembly facilities, and/or restaurant facilities
to paying or non-paying guests. The building or group
of buildings may include private or common facilities,
such as bathrooms, living areas, dining areas, gathering
areas, and kitchen facilities." Their proposed
change would be to include uses related to agritourism
without site plan review in the RRA.
Eckert continued, "It encompasses a variety of
ways for a landowner to make money in other ways besides
in ways related to just what they grow." She
said she sees that city people are growing further
away from the agricultural life and farms that are
open to sharing the experience are looking for ways
to market to that demographic.
Roger Doiron is with the "Eat Local Foods Coalition
of Maine." He said that "I'm very optimistic
about the future of agricultural tourism in Maine.
People are waking up to the fact that the value of
agriculture is not only measured in terms of dollars
and cents. Beyond their primary role of producing
food, farms also contribute to the viability of rural
areas, food security, and to a region's cultural heritage.
When managed sustainably, they offer and environmental
and aesthetic benefits by preserving natural landscapes
and agro-biological diversity."
Paul Pietropaoli is representing the October Corporation
during the zone change request process. He will be
presenting more information to the Council at their
workshop on February 7. He spoke with The Monument
this week, saying that "We need to find a way
to keep farm properties economically viable in the
face of development pressures. Their [client October
Corp.] feeling is that agritourism is one way to do
that, in allowing people to come out to visit the
farm, enjoying educational opportunities. It's a neat
way to enjoy a vacation and to expose the resources
that we have."
Research shows that agricultural tourists tend to
spend more money, up to 16-20% more in the immediate
local area (5-9 miles.)
Mr. Doiron continued, "It's true that Maine agriculture
faces the same threats as other parts of the country,
including sprawl, increased competition from large
industrial farms, and a decay in agriculture's human
and technical infrastructure over the past few decades.
To its credit, Maine has done a good very job in terms
of holding onto most of its agricultural land base
over the past few years and has seen an encouraging
increase in the number of new small farms coming online."
" It's often these smaller, family-oriented farms
that stand to benefit most from agritourism, as they're
open to trying new things and diversifying their revenue
stream."
Eckert agreed that it is the smaller, family owned
farms that tend to benefit most from agritourism ventures.
"It's designed to help small, family farms to
stay in business and to keep them working." Ms.
Eckert said that the Harris Dairy Farm in Dayton,
Maine earned the Governor's Award for Tourism Excellence.
They allow their property to be used for cross-country
skiing in the winter," Ms. Eckert said. The Harris
farm also has Open Farm Day, Maine Maple Weekend and
Pumpkin Picking Day, all activities that connect the
non-farmer to the land, food production, and allows
the farmer to reap divergent revenue streams.
Common in Europe, which is has an overabundance of
farms that have been owned by families for thousands
of years, and it is also common in California. Not
as well known in Maine, farmers are now looking for
ways to encourage non-traditional uses of these properties,
explained Mr. Pietropaoli.
Mr. Doiron said, that "I think Maine is particularly
well-placed to become a leader in this new sector.
As Maine's local agriculture sector grows and thrives,
so does its reputation as a food destination. In the
past year alone, a number of Maine food producers,
including chefs, cheesemakers, and bakers, have been
recognized nationally through prestigious awards and
glowing media coverage. One nationally-acclaimed food
writer recently dubbed Maine "the next (San Francisco)
Bay Area of food" because of the interesting
synergies taking place between farmers, fishers, chefs,
and other artisanal food makers."
Over
the past five years since the Libra Foundation purchased
the Pineland campus in New Gloucester, through their
real estate arm October Corporation, they have converted
it into a multi-use business and recreational campus.
They have also purchased many of the surrounding farms
that overlap into Gray and North Yarmouth and restored
them or continue to maintain current farm operations.
Above, The Merrill Farm, set amid green rolling
hills and nestled among working fields. Last May,
Mr. Craig Denekas of the Libra Foundation led a tour
of their holdings and invited the Gray Council, Pklanning
Board, Representatives and Senators, and other interested
citizens. He first began discussing the Foundation's
plans at that time to include the Merrill Farm in
a new venture. 