Chewonki Foundation on Monday presented its initial plans to the Wiscasset Planning Board for a girls’ summer camp. If approved, it will have seven camper cabins, two staff cabins, a bathroom, and outdoor space for activities.

The cabins would include a covered porch for drying swimsuits and other items, and give the campers a place to be if weather turns bad. A small gravel road will give access to the campground, with a couple of parking spaces for staff; a one-lane bridge will span a wetland area.

The campgound will not be far from the main building, the Center for Environmental Education, in a small wooded area between the CEE and the main road into the campus. There will also be an all-tide dock for the girls’ use.

Chewonki Foundation President Willard Morgan said the camp was a “light footprint” on the land, and to the extent possible, existing trees and rock outcroppings would be incorporated into the design.

A new well will be drilled behind the CEE, and a septic tank and leach field will also be constructed. There will be no lights in the girls’ cabins at night. “We want it to be a wilderness experience,” Morgan said. 

Chewonki came to the meeting with many of the permits the project needs, including Department of Environmental Protection permits (Note: Chewonki notified the newspaper May 15 that the DEP permit has been filed but had not yet been approved at press time), and approval by the Army Corps of Engineers for the dock and floats. A site inspection is set for Monday, May 20, and a public hearing, for June 10 during the planning board meeting. Chewonki Foundation must notify abutters within 500 feet.

Board members raised no concerns about the proposed project.