Plan to cut border station hours at Vanceboro shocks residents

Residents of Vanceboro were shocked by the news that the border station in town may be closed 12 hours every day, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The town will be holding a public hearing on the proposed border closure on Tuesday, July 5, at the Vanceboro Community Center at 5 p.m. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials will be present to answer questions about the proposed reduction in hours.
Rep. Jeffrey Evangelos of Friendship, who began his public service career in Vanceboro, has been helping spearhead the effort to stop the proposal. In a letter to CBP officials, he writes: "I cannot overstate the economic and familial devastation such a closure would cause to these communities and their families. Route 6 is still a valuable trade corridor, and this proposed closure will affect everything from access to healthcare, employment, food security, elder and handicapped care and other basic human and family needs." He notes that many residents in northeastern Washington County are dual citizens, so access to Canada is essential.
A Vanceboro woman explained to Rep. Evangelos that she cares for her brother, who is paralyzed and lives a mile over the border in St. Croix. Evangelos writes, "Can you imagine her having to drive a 120-mile round trip to provide care for her brother, who lives just one mile away? There are scores of issues like this; consequently, I am pleading with you to hear out the residents."
Cheryl Long, the head of the select board in Vanceboro, agrees with Rep. Evangelos about the potential impact, stating, "It's quite devastating," with many people having family members on both sides of the border. She notes her father owned the gas station in Vanceboro for 50 years, with 90% of his customers being Canadian, who also came over to buy milk, cigarettes and alcohol.
Vanceboro also sees quite a lot of business from canoeists who come to town. There is also a lot of commercial traffic, particularly with log trucks. Irving is running trains carrying logs, oil and Canadian Pacific Railway products four to six times a day across the border. "It really affects Irving," says Long, noting that CBP would make Irving pay for having CBP officers travel from Calais to the Vanceboro station when it is closed.
While it's only six miles from Vanceboro to McAdam using the Vanceboro crossing, it's about 60 miles by traveling down to Calais. Long notes that some Vanceboro residents do their grocery shopping in McAdam. "I can get to Fredericton as quick as I go to Calais, and with the discount on money it's just as cheap to go to Fredericton" to shop, she says.
As for CBP, Long says, "I think they've made up their minds. They've done the work and put up gates. No one knew about it." She adds, "I don't think we can reverse it, but if they could shorten the hours" to being closed only from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. that would make it easier.
With the Forest City and Orient border crossings not open through the night, area residents would have to travel to Houlton or Calais to cross into Canada or the U.S. "If they close it for 12 hours, they're going to be using the river and the lakes a lot more," Long quips.
Along with the added travel time the closure would mean for residents in the area, Rep. Evangelos points to the current price for gas, at over $5 a gallon. "With the world facing an energy crisis, the expense of gasoline is already an extreme hardship. Adding 120 miles to a round trip after 8 p.m. is hardly fair; in fact, it represents an economic disaster for these people. The only other alternative is to drive home via Houlton, an 80 mile one-way trip."
Pointing out in a letter to CBP officials that Calais has three border stations, Rep. Evangelos writes, "Given the rural and economic isolation of the northern Washington County region, I'm left to wonder why the least used Calais station wasn't considered for part-time closure? This would represent no hardship to the folks in Calais/St. Stephen, two stations would still be operative 24 hours a day, while Vanceboro could remain open 24 hours a day."
Arguing that the proposed closure "represents the death knell" for towns in the area, Rep. Evangelos states, "With the U.S. government spending trillions on everything under the sky, I find it difficult to believe the residents of northern Washington County have been selected for such a reduction in hours on a still important trade route, Route 6, Vanceboro to Lincoln."
Pleading for CBP to reconsider the proposal, he adds, "My government should be investing in these economically distressed communities, not putting nails in their coffin. Think about any possible economic development prospects for the region when there is no border crossing open from Houlton to Calais. Dead on arrival pretty well sums it up."
CBP did not respond by press time as to why the closure is being proposed.