The Bowdoin Outing Club’s (BOC) Finnegan McCoul Woodruff Mountain Center (FMWMC) has entered the permitting process for the construction of the facility in Kingfield, as the College appeared before the Kingfield Planning Board with its initial permitting application this past July.

The FMWMC, announced in April, was made possible by a gift to the BOC by former Associate Director of Institutional Research Stephanie Foster and Dean of Student Affairs Emeritus Tim Foster, as well as other alumni and community member donations.

The FMWMC is slated to be built on a 21-acre plot of land that the College owns in Kingfield, which is situated in the Carrabassett Valley, a popular BOC trip destination. The permitting process has been assisted by the Office of Facilities Management.

Director of Capital Projects John Simoneau and Kylie Mason, a landscape architect from Sebago Technics, a firm with which the College is working on this project, appeared before the Kingfield Planning Board on July 8 to discuss the construction of the FMWMC.

“Our project is a bit [of a] different character than the nearby residential properties, which resulted in questions from those landowners. Allowing the Planning Board and residents to ask questions and raise concerns before we submit an application gives us a chance to address them in our application,” Simoneau wrote in an email to the Orient. “We will be meeting with some of the nearby residents in the coming weeks and hope that we can demonstrate the [BOC’s] intent to be a good neighbor.”

Under Kingfield’s town ordinance, the College’s property can be zoned as either a nonprofit club or an institution. The College has argued that it should be permitted as an institution, since it will not charge fees like a campground would.

“Club fees paid by the student to the College do not constitute payment for use of the campground. Kingfield’s ordinance has a very clear definition for ‘institutional,’ which [the] BOC fits perfectly,” the meeting minutes read.

During the meeting minutes, locals pushed back against the project, raising traffic and infrastructure concerns. Residents cited the condition of Iron Bridge Road as a concern, which runs through the land where the FMWMC is planned to be located. Currently, the road is managed and maintained by a road association, which Bowdoin would have to pay fees to as a user of the road.

“Some residents were concerned that Bowdoin pay proportionate to its use as it will have multiple vehicles using the road and bridge vs. other property owners and their few vehicles per household. Simoneau responded that they would include that consideration in their final application,” the meeting minutes read.

Residents also raised concerns about potential growth at the site. As of now, the FMWMC will feature seven gravel pad areas that could fit up to 28 tents and 45 students at a time. The planning board referred to town ordinances that only allow two duplexes per acre, which the College would have the ability to pursue in the future, though that would require further permitting.

The College expects to start using the site for orientation trips starting next fall. The timeline for the construction of the FWMWC has not yet been determined.