Bowdoin College temporarily withdrew its application for a campsite in Kingfield through a May 26 letter sent by John Simoneau, Bowdoin’s director of capital projects, to the town’s board of selectmen and planning board.

In the letter, the Brunswick college said it would not refile for at least six months. The period will give the town of Kingfield enough time to properly review the proposal and town ordinances.

A planned June 2 planning board meeting to discuss the proposal has been canceled.

“While we believe the Town’s existing ordinances are comprehensive and adequate to review the Project,” Simoneau wrote, “this plan will also allow for more deliberate and substantive dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that Bowdoin fully understands and is able to address some of the concerns expressed in the Planning Board review process.”

Bowdoin Kingfield Letter by qblais

The planned campsite would be used by the college’s outing club, with groups from the club visiting the plot for weekend trips. For a week at the start of the school year, it would be used for freshman orientation trips. Simoneau wrote that the college is disappointed that the site will not be ready for use in the fall by their students, but that they look forward to using the time to work with the town and neighbors on the plan.

“Our priority, however, is to work collaboratively with the community and ensure that our facilities and activities are a good fit, and we believe this additional time will help achieve that objective,” he wrote.

The college is still invested in plans for the campsite and the delay is only for further review for all parties.

“Bowdoin is fully committed to this project and to creating this opportunity for our students,” Doug Cook, director of communications for Bowdoin, said in an email.

The proposal would develop a forested 20.7-acre plot along the Carrabassett River with seven campsites for 28 total tents. There would be a service building for water and bathroom facilities, and a picnic area. In the plan, the finished site would be named the Finnegan McCoul Woodruff Mountain Center, named after the late Bowdoin student and son of Mike Woodruff, Bowdoin Outing Club director.

The plan drew heavy criticism from nearby property owners who argued that the traffic the site would generate would strain the one-lane bridge used to access the subdivision and that the college was inconsistent with its plans for the plot.