The Newcastle Board of Selectmen agreed to postpone a meeting on Sherman Marsh in order to have more time to get out notice of the meeting.

The meeting will now take place on Monday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the community room at the fire station on River Road.

The meeting had been planned for Sept. 19, since the Maine Department of Transportation was planning to meet with some of the affected residents during that week, but several guests who wished to be present would not be available for the Sept. 19 meeting. These included Sen. Chris Johnson (D-Somerville), Rep. Mick Devlin (D-Newcastle), and possibly Gov. Paul LePage.  Members of the congressional delegation, the county commissioners, and members of the inter-agency team for the Sherman Marsh Wetlank Bank project were also invited.

The wetland bank would create easements on sixteen properties bordering the marsh, which is located on Route One. Many of the residents are unhappy with MDOT’s proposal, saying it sets too many limits on the use of their properties and doesn’t compensate them fairly. Letters to the residents sent over the summer informed them that if they did not agree to the easements, the land could be taken by eminent domain.

The easements would go into a wetland bank to be used when a road or bridge project elsewhere in the state might cause a loss of wetlands. The land that would be banked at Sherman Marsh would serve as mitigation for the losses. One of the projects expected to be mitigated by the Sherman Marsh Wetland Bank is an upgrade to Route 395 near Bangor, according to MDOT.

The Oct. 3 meeting is open to the public.