DOT won't move lot
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--The Department of Transportation (DOT) Maintenance lot occupies 5 acres in the middle of Gray Village. Gray officials have been talking with DOT officials for over three years to see if the DOT would re-locate their lot to a less prime area in town.

Recently Rep. Susan Austin (R-Gray) sent a letter to DOT Commissioner Cole on the same topic. Commissioner Cole sent a response, both are below. The question is, that in the spirit of regional cooperation, why have two transportation maintenance lots occupying 25 total acres of prime space in the middle of town? The Maine Turnpike lot referred to in the letters is 20 acres. Above, the DOT lot in Gray Village. It is between Androscoggin Bank and the Post Office road on Rt. 100. The Monument: Prata photo

Dear Commissioner Cole,

It was very good of you to visit our caucus recently, We really appreciate hearing from the Head of Departments and having that opportunity to interact on a one to one with you in a small group setting! I will reiterate that I am really looking forward to working with Terry in her new position. She has always treated me well with her friendly way of communicating information. As a matter of fact when I saw her in the Halls last Wednesday I talked with her about this very note to you.

I write today to touch base with you again on the "Maine State Camp" in Gray Village. As we approach this Budget and search for creative solutions to addressing needs and ways in which we can economize in our delivery of services, I pondered the two pieces of property that are so close in proximity to each other: the State Camp and the Maine Turnpike Authority Maintenance Facility. The value and actually need to be open for regionalization in any fashion reasonable has been one of the hall makes of Governor Baldacci's administration.

With that in mind, knowing the administration feels so strongly in this area I wanted to share again my serious support of any conversations Gray's leadership and your office can continue to entertain in combing locations of road maintenance crews of two departments into one. Many feel that this consolidation could work for the greater good in many ways for both local citizens of Gray and all state tax payers. I look forward to hearing from you. Left, the DOT lot's fuel pump and off to the left, unseen, the sand/salt pile. The Monument: Prata photo

Sincerely, Susan W. Austin
State Representative,
Portions of Gray, North Yarmouth & Pownal

Dear Representative Austin:

Thank you for your letter of March 1, 2005 regarding the feasibility of co-locating our Gray maintenance personnel at the Turnpike's Gray facility. The Department of Transportation and the Turnpike Authority have always worked well together. We continuously look for ways to jointly improve our operations.

This dialogue takes place at several levels. Deputy Commissioner Greg Nadeau is a member of the Turnpike Authority Board of Directors; Conrad Welzel of the Turnpike Authority spends a great deal of time with the DOT officials and legislators and there are frequent conversations between Turnpike Authority staff and DOT's staff in Scarborough. It is through these conversations that we have exchanged responsibilities where one could provide a service more effectively than the other. For example, the Turnpike Authority plows DOT''s I-95 (Saco Connector) and we plow the Kittery Information Center roadways.

We discussed your proposal with the Turnpike. We agree that the Gray facility is located in a convenient location for both Turnpike Authority and DOT operations. However, the lot is constrained on three sides by roadways and by wetland on the fourth. The Turnpike already feels that space is tight. DOT's Gray facility has two garages with a total of fourteen truck bays: a salt storage building and outside materials storage. There is not sufficient room for us to co-locate at the Turnpike Authority's Gray Lot.

We understand and appreciate that our Gray facility does not fit with the Town's long range plans. We have told the Town that we are willing to relocate to another lot that is convenient for our needs however: we would need to be made whole for this move.

If the Town can provide us with suitable lot and replace our facilities, we would give them our lot. It is cost prohibitive for us to undertake such a move without compensation. We will continue to work with the Town of Gray to see if a mutually convenient solution can be found.

Sincerely, David A. Cole
Commissioner, Maine Department of Transportation