Thank you for your interest in learning more about Referendum Question H!
KLT believes that by supporting the acceptance of Drala Drive, you are helping to preserve access to the natural beauty that enriches our community, and assure public outdoor recreation opportunities in our town.
We hope the below information will provide more information on this important vote coming up on June 11th.
On the upcoming Kennebunk Town Warrant on June 11th, Referendum Question H asks if voters want to approve Drala Drive as public way. Below is some further infomration on how this question affects Kennebunk Land Trust and our newest preserve, Tributary Preserve.
Some background:
- Kennebunk Land Trust received a donation of 50 acres of land behind Alfred Road in 2022. Since then, we have been planning and developing a 2.5 mile trail system with community volunteers and local students. We were able to do this from donations to our Tributary Preserve Fund from generous supports of the nature preserve.
- Drala Drive is the only road access to Tributary Preserve, where a parking lot has been built to encourage trail use.
- In Fall 2023, the Select Board voted against moving the public road application to the town warrant, (which needs to happen so the town can vote yes or no to accept it as public road).
- Drala Drive remained private, and no public access is allowed on the road. This means no access to Tributary Preserve or the parking area
Above: KLT Volunteer on new trail at Tributary Preserve
- The new Kennebunk ordinance language approved in March 2024 will only allow a road application to go on the town warrant for a vote if the road has a public benefit. Drala Drive re-applied for public road acceptance believing access Tributary is a public benefit.
- On April 9th 2024, the Select Board voted 5 - 2 to put the road acceptance question on the Town Warrent for a vote.
- The question on the town warrant is Referendum Question H, and will appear on the warrant as written below:
ARTICLE 10: Referendum Question H: To see if the Town will vote to accept as a Town Way, Drala Drive, as depicted on a plan titled "Subdivision Plan Highland Rose", by Christopher Barstow Builder LLC, approved June 29, 2021 by the Kennebunk Planning Board and as recorded in the York County Registry of Deeds in Plan Book 416, Page 46 on July 2, 2021.
Above: Trail-building volunteers in Tributary Preserve