Kathy Berry's Letter to Calais Chamber of Commerce

TO: Linda Howe St. Croix Valley Chamber of Commerce

In response to your e-mail:

After being a member of the Chamber for almost 18 years, and being very successful in our real estate business, it is with regret that we came to the conclusion to withdraw from this organization. Behind the scenes and in a quiet manner we have supported the Chamber each time a real estate deal came to conclusion.

Real estate drives the economy of an area more than anything else. We believe that each business person has this knowledge, or should have this knowledge. And those who ignore that fact will be affected in a negative manner.

Many local jobs are provided when real estate is sold. Bankers, Attorneys, Appraisers, Surveyors, Soil Scientists, Insurance Agents, among others are needed just to get the deal closed. Then buyers purchase automobiles, furniture, clothing, food, need the services of Dr’s & Dentists, and many other health care professions. They visit beauty saloons & exercise centers, play golf, visit restaurants, and places of entertainment. Home owners need carpenters, plumbers, electricians, lawn mowing and snow plowing services, the list goes on…Without these real estate transactions, the economy dries up.

The St. Croix Valley is one of the most unique areas of the world. Those who travel the earth and know this wonderful place we call home will attest to this as did National Geographic Traveler Magazine in an article that featured St. Andrews and the whole Bay of Fundy as one of the 50 places to see in a lifetime!!

Now for the Economics of the Area: Yes we need growth. Yes we are in a ‘poor’ County. Yes business folks want to see the area prosper, but at what expense? Not at the expense of LNG in Passamaquoddy Bay. Let us concentrate on what we already HAVE.

Let us not take away our Natural Beauty, there is no more making of real estate, what we have in beauty we MUST preserve NOW. Others who have not are now regretful.

From our experience and what we are experiencing at this time in our business is that we are entertaining the "baby boomers" from across the Country. As this time in their early retirement stages are unfolding, they are coming to our area for their, ‘Summer Place" or moving back altogether to now experience what they missed during their career years of being ‘away.’

This is where the "Jobs" will be for all those folks already making a fine living here and room for much expansion as these people come , and these folks present no strain on the school systems, and are peaceful, respectable citizens that will do nothing but help our economy grow.

Heavy industry, on the other hand, is not friendly, and will take the profits right out from under us to benefit those so eager to take away what we have. How many of the developers plan to stay and enjoy the fruits of LNG? Some of them have said, They wouldn’t want to live near an LNG plant, but this was their job and they intended to do their job. At whose expense?? Certainly not their own, they plan to line their pockets and get the heck out of Town.

WE recognize the fact we are in an Energy Crisis world wide. We are not against LNG.

LNG needs to be sited in an already Industrial area which is prepared to deal with the whole impact, or off shore, or in an unpopulated area (as could be in the Cutler area) and it’s still Washington County for those seeking the construction work they may get along the way.

So for those jobs they say LNG will provide, what are the numbers, 30, 40, at best for the locals once the construction phase is completed. Please go back and count the number of jobs a real estate transaction provides from the list above, and that is only a fraction of the total. In our opinion, if LNG comes in, the baby boomers will not come, and the lose of jobs will be much more than the few the developers are tooting it will provide. If jobs related to real estate industry are lost, the number will far surpass the probably exaggerated # the developers have verbally said with no ‘applications taken."

WE entertain people who live in heavy industrial areas, people who are highly educated, and people who are not, people who are wealthy, and people who are middle class and average. One thing they all have in common is, they want to get away from the destruction and ugliness, and come to a clean, beauty, pollution free and environmental safe area. And this sort of "Industry" of being a tourism and retirement community is what we are coming into. The very people who have said the new several Million $ Heritage Center Museum would benefit Calais and the area because 90 thousand people would visit annually are now some of the ones vying for heavy industry which would certainly counter their first thought of Heritage!

Our young people want to get an education and spread their wings, and ‘get out of town to do their own thing, young folks do become so quickly those baby boomers we are speaking about today. To Save the Bay is not for a short term. To Save the Bay is to save future generations.

Pine Tree Real Estate is gearing to retirement, and hopefully the prospect of those who continue what we have done, will have the chance to do so.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to express the reality of this point of view.

We truly hope the Chamber appreciated the referrals we have made in the past to each and every one of your business’ in our "behind the scenes, in quiet manner, to buyers and others who frequented your places of business!

Sincerely,

Katherine & Richard Berry, Pine Tree Real Estate, Robbinston, ME

Pine Tree Real Estate