I am writing this as a resident of Belfast during the 1950s and ’60s. I am not going to quote data or statistics, but rather relay my experiences and observations during that period.
Belfast was not always considered the best city to live in Maine — a distinction recently noted in Downeast Magazine. Penobscot and Maplewood Poultry factories were thriving businesses during the ’50s and ’60s. Big trucks with crates full of live chickens meandered through the town, leaving feathers in their wake. Waste material from processing those chickens was pumped into the bay.
There were days when my family and neighbors had to get water elsewhere as it takes a lot of water to process poultry. Those plants did employ a lot of people and we were known as “The Broiler Capital of the World.” The cost of this recognition was air, land and water pollution.
After the plants closed, Belfast was left with dilapidated buildings along the waterfront. They were later taken down by MBNA and replaced by a public park and harbor walk.
Instead of poultry trucks clogging up traffic, now we can expect Nordic trucks coming and going off Route 1. I wonder if the city will have enough water to process the amount of salmon involved.
Nordic proposes to pump waste material into a bay that is already warming with climate change. This would be a bay that provides not only recreational activities, but also jobs for the fishing industry. If this venture fails, who will come in to take down these massive building that are planned?
Belfast has become a major tourist draw in the last two decades. People who used to bypass the city on their way to Bar Harbor and Acadia are delightfully surprised after visiting the city for a day or more. The flourishing marina, picturesque harbor and day sails bring people to the city. The many new smaller businesses and art galleries have enriched the community.
I hope the future of a thriving city in conjunction with preserving the environment would trump any financial gain that some feel the fish farm would provide. Is this worth the gamble?
“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”
