My wife and I went to the fundraiser for Ukraine that took place at The School House 1913 restaurant on May 10. It was heartwarming to see so many generous and caring people offering their support to this war-torn country.
While The School House is a fine restaurant, in my opinion it was not a safe venue for a meeting of this size. The situation created by such a large turnout was dangerous. The number of cars parked on Route 123 and the people coming and going to those cars created a situation that was unsafe.
Route 123 is a narrow two-lane road with no breakdown lanes. It is not a road where a large number of people should be walking. We saw folks struggling to get back to their vehicles parked at the old Vegetable Corner store and the Merriconeag Grange.
Harpswell is a well-heeled town with many generous, caring people (this meeting to help the people of Ukraine was proof of that), so there is absolutely no reason why a multiuse community center with proper parking and safe access for our citizens should be beyond our reach.
Mitchell Field, with all its land and beautiful views, would be an ideal setting for a public community and event center that would enrich the lives of all of us and, more importantly, provide a safe meeting area for the town’s residents.
Something to think about.
Frank D’Agostino, Harpswell
