ST. JOHN VALLEY - The Corridor Advocacy Group for the St. John Valley Cultural Byway gathered recently in Fort Kent for its first planning meeting. The byway was designated a State Scenic Byway by the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) in 2010. It follows U.S. Route 1A from Hamlin, continuing to U.S. Route 1 in Van Buren to Allagash, including part of Route 162 to Ste-Agathe (consideration is being given to include part of Route 1 in Cyr Plantation and Route 162 to Sinclair). It is one of 14 state and national scenic byways in Maine that together cover more than 500 miles of roadway through coastal and inland landscapes.
The next step after state designation is to complete a Corridor Management and Partnership Plan. To achieve this goal, the Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) received a grant from MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration's Scenic Byways Program, to work with consultants, regional stakeholders and an advisory group.
"The advisory group, made up of people from throughout the Valley, will help develop the corridor plan, an important document that guides planning and development efforts for the byway," said Brian Longstaff, regional planning program director for the Northern Maine Development Commission. "This first meeting was an orientation and discussion of some of the planning items we'll be tackling."
Don Guimond, a member of the byway committee from Fort Kent, considers that "one of the greatest benefits of this effort is that the Valley is working on it together. That doesn't happen enough. It's great that we're doing something like this for the entire region."
The plan will include the identification of key assets, related opportunities, and themes and stories. It will also set goals and strategies for protecting, promoting, enhancing, and managing the byway's intrinsic qualities.
"Our aim is to have a plan done by next summer. Our advisory group, along with all the stakeholders in the Valley, plays an important role in reaching success," added Longstaff.
The National Scenic Byway Program defines a scenic byway as a public road having special scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, and/or natural qualities that have been recognized as such through legislation or some other official declaration. Notably, the St. John Valley's Acadian culture was at the forefront of consideration for State designation. Maine DOT reviewers noted that this significant intrinsic asset, the Acadian story, will make it distinct from all other Maine byways.
The byway builds upon over 40 years of efforts by the region's historical societies, the National Park Service, Maine Acadian Heritage Council, Acadian Archives, and initiatives like the Voici the Valley Cultureway and the upcoming World Acadian Congress.
For more information, contact Longstaff at NMDC, 532-0644 (office), 551-5836 (cell) or by email at [email protected].