Maine news from Ellsworth, Bucksport, Gouldsboro, Blue Hill, Sullivan, Surry, Hancock, Deer Isle, Stonington, Orland and throughout Hancock County.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR— After two hours of discussion, finding the parking lot plan complete, as well as conducting a public hearing, members of the Planning Board decided to table their decision to approve it until their next meeting. Their meeting on Oct. 15 was at least the Planning Board’s third one regarding a decision by the town’s …
Council meetings to remain virtual BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor Town Council members voted unanimously to continue online meetings using the Zoom conferencing platform through their Jan. 5, 2021, meeting. Members expressed the desire to remain as safe as possible and will revisit the topic at their first meeting in January. Members of the public have …
SOUTHWEST HARBOR— Progress on what has become a million-dollar sidewalk reconstruction at the south end of Main Street seems slow, at best, and town officials are frustrated. “We’re getting further away from getting ready to go every time the state looks at it,” Town Manager Justin VanDongen told selectmen at their Oct. 13 meeting in an update on …
TREMONT — Despite strong recommendations not to move forward, selectmen gave the school a green light on Monday to explore the option of using Pacific Hall for students since space has gotten tighter during the pandemic. “It’s no surprise the school has been tapped out on space since prior to COVID–19,” said Tremont Consolidated School Principal Jandrea True to the Board of Selectmen at …
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — Last week, after the completion of a culvert replacement project, the Department of Environmental Protection officially cleared the town and the water and sewer district of violations incurred in 2016. In a monthly enforcement report released on Oct. 13, the DEP listed at least 19 violations incurred during the time the town was …
Southwest Harbor A vehicle parked in the travel lane on Clark Point Road was reported on Oct. 13 around 10 a.m. According to police, the vehicle was moved, and the owner was found later. Police received a report of a woman in crisis around noon on Oct. 13. She was taken to the hospital for an …
MOUNT DESERT — Driven, caring, a goofball, integrous, forward thinking and rooted in his community are some of the ways the people closest to Tom Savage describe him. “All he ever wanted was for everybody to be the best that they could be,” said Savage’s wife, Meghan, in a conversation with the Islander last week via Zoom. …
MOUNT DESERT — A case of sticker shock has caused the Board of Selectmen to hit the pause button on consideration of a proposed new fire/EMS station in Northeast Harbor. The estimated cost is $7.5 million. “I was thinking maybe half that, and when I saw $7 million, I thought, ‘Holy cow!’” Selectman Wendy Littlefield said. Selectman Matt Hard …
BAR HARBOR — The fall tourist season has been a mixed bag for Bar Harbor retail shop owners who have experienced ups and downs for the last nine months. For some, the cancellation of cruise ships and the convenience of online shopping during this year’s pandemic have had a negative impact, but, for others, pandemic purchasing has helped the …
ACADIA NAT’L PARK — Park officials learned a lot from the trial run of the timed-entry reservation system for private vehicles Oct. 1-18, and they expect to learn more once all the data collected during that period have been analyzed. People entering the Ocean Drive section of the Park Loop Road and the Cadillac Mountain Summit Road were required to …
