WESTBROOK, Maine — A well-known farm in southern Maine is in the midst of a dilemma as the Maine Turnpike Authority’s recently announced path for its new Gorham connector route would claim part of the 300-year-old farm.
Smiling Hill Farm co-owner Michael Knight said the route would claim 45 acres of farmland and woodlands along the western section of their property.
"I always knew trying to retain and keep this much land in this area, somebody would be sooner or later knocking on the door wanting a piece of it," Knight said. "Fair enough, it was the Maine Turnpike Authority wanting a piece of it."
The Maine Turnpike Authority's project aims to relieve traffic congestion by allowing drivers using the turnpike to get to and from Gorham without having to go through Westbrook.
While Knight acknowledges the need to reduce traffic congestion, he said he wonders if there is a better solution than to cut through their field, which would also split his property.
"This is field. Say, for instance, if you take houses or whatever, you can go to Gorham, you can go to Westbrook. You can buy another house. But where am I going to find this field here somewhere? I can't."
Peter Mills, executive director for the Maine Turnpike Authority, said the highway itself would not impact the parts of the farm that many Mainers know and love.
"We certainly haven't asked for any part of their active farm or wood business they have," Mills said. "We’ve had some good discussions with them [the Knight family], but we would like to have their help."
Mills said the Turnpike Authority has already bought about 35 percent of linear distance they need and are still in the process of speaking with other landowners. The Turnpike Authority rarely uses eminent domain because they usually come to an agreement with landowners, according to Mills.
Knight said he is just worried this project will be the first of many that could need to use a slice of their 550-acre farm.
"It makes this job difficult to get this to the next generation, and I'm handing them something that’s going to be handicapped," Knight said. "When you take part of the field away, it makes it harder for us to get the hay and the feed for these cows to pay the bills. So, it does put a pinch on this farm."
Mills said the connector has been in the works since 2007 when Gorham, Scarborough, South Portland, and Westbrook signed a resolution requesting the Turnpike Authority to look into a new connector that would link the Gorham Bypass with the Maine Turnpike.
"Those shortcuts are jammed at eight in the morning and they’re jammed again at night. The whole region is just jammed with car traffic," Mills said. "It's gotten worse and worse."
While the Turnpike Authority is still designing the road, Knight said if the route runs through his farmland, he said he'll be left with hard decisions as he tries to pass this farm down to the 14th generation.
"No matter how hard I fight and how hard the public will stand behind Smiling Hill Farm, we could very much end up losing this anyway. And its sad, really its sad," Knight said. "I don't want to be the generation that can't farm this anymore."