Conners-Emerson Construction Contract A Go! Parking Fees Hit $3.85 million in Revenue
Briefs: Seawall Construction on Track, Bar Harbor's Lower Main Street Project Update, BH Parking Violation Fines Increase
BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor School Board authorized Superintendent Mike Zboray to execute and deliver a construction contract with Wright-Ryan, Monday Morning.
This is option B from the presentation made to the Town Council. After bids came back millions over the budget, the Bar Harbor Town Council gave the School Board the go-ahead for a slightly stripped down new school to replace the aging Conners Emerson buildings.
“We are still working on the contract details,” Zboray said.
In June 2023, Bar Harbor voters passed a $58 million bond to rebuild the ailing schools and support the town’s K-8 population. Broken boilers, rain inundation, a wall pulling away from the foundation, poor air exchanges, limited classroom space, and a lack of insulation are just some of the buildings’ recent problems.
The bond passed 1,005 to 502.
The hand-delivered bids came from Bowman Construction of Newport and Wright-Ryan out of Portland. Bowman’s bid was read first and then Wright-Ryan’s.
Bowman’s bid was for $70,000,960. Wright-Ryan’s came in at $62,956,069. There is a bid contingency that is $2,475,073. Contingencies are usually meant to cover unknown costs.
The second option, which was approved, was to reduce the third-story by half, losing classrooms and other spaces. That removed approximately $4.2 million of the overage. The third option was to no longer build the third story, which would lose 12 class rooms and other spaces. That closed the gap by approximately $8.6 million.
The second option, a bit of a compromise between the other two, was the one the board hoped would move forward. The contractural obligation for option B is $59 million.
BAR HARBOR LOWER MAIN STREET PROJECT UPDATE
BAR HARBOR—At the last Bar Harbor Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Bethany Leavitt gave a quick update on the town’s construction project on lower Main Street.
“When I first got here in 2021, we had three different water main breaks on Route 3,” she told councilors.
That water main is more than 100 years old. The town’s sewer line needed to be upgraded. The water system did, too. The MaineDOT lines were failing in multiple locations.
“We’re more than 60% complete on this project. The substantial completion date is in November. The final completion is May 22,” Leavitt said. That May date is in 2025.
Most of the underground utility work from Pleasant Street to Park, which is the high use section, is done. All that work has to be completed in advance of any sidewalk or streetscape work.
“We are trying to be flexible,” Leavitt said and work with business owners. There will be temporary road closures again in the future.
They’ll also be talking to the state and meeting with others about when to remove the Ledgelawn detour.
The design plans show a stamped and pigmented pavement that would be at the intersection of Park and Livingston and Main. There will also be a pocket park at that corner.
JUNE 30 FINANCIAL REPORT
BAR HARBOR—Finance Director Sarah Gilbert said that the town was at 114% over budget for revenue. She attributed that to strong interest rates, increased excise tax, and building and electrical permit fees.
The parking revenue fund brought in $3.85 million of revenue, net any fees. Expenditures are about $100,000 below budget. The town will probably add $700-800,000 in the fund balance for FY2024. She said coin usage is down and the use of the mobile app has increased.
The town filed more tax liens this year, Gilbert said.
Town Council Vice Chair Gary Friedmann asked why the tax collections were down. Gilbert said that a couple of large commercial properties that typically do pay in a timely manner did not do so yet this year.
Last week, the Bar Harbor Town Council increased the parking violation fee for metered parking from $40 to $52.
Councilor Matthew Hochman suggested increasing the fees for blocking a fire hydrant, a fire lane, and potentially adding something about parking a vehicle with a combustion engine in a space for EV chargers.
BAR HARBOR TOWN MANAGER AND COUNCILOR COMMENTS
At the last Bar Harbor Town Council meeting, Bar Harbor Town Manager James Smith said that there is a final storm damage estimate of just a little more than $240,000. The town has submitted paperwork to FEMA and MEMA to help pay those damages.
“We are currently looking to an investment plan for our infrastructure projects,” to try to find grant source funds for projects like the ferry terminal site project or lower Main Street style projects, Smith said.
In discussions with the school, they are looking at bringing on an owner’s representative to help better control or reduce costs for the contract or actual project.
The town, he said, is also working with an engineering firm toward a study to make recommendations about the transfer station.
Councilor Earl Brechlin said he’d like to have some discussion about the town rules which allow transient accommodations to have off-site parking.
“If you can’t have parking on site, you shouldn’t have it,” Brechlin said because he believes that it creates a domino effect of displacing whoever originally parked in that lot or area. Those people, he said, have to find other places.
Councilor Kyle Shank said he’d like the town to move forward with creating a Tourism Management Committee to think about tourism more broadly. That committee was discussed when the councilors disbanded the Cruise Ship Committee.
Hochman thanked the Bar Harbor Chamber and all involved in the Fourth of July festivities. Council Chair Valerie Peacock thanked the town staff for a safe and effective Fourth of July holiday.
Councilor Maya Caines said that she’d like an update on potential new fees and revenue that the Council asked staff to look at earlier this year.
Highbrook Road Traffic Impact – Monday, July 29, 2024
BAR HARBOR—A section of Highbrook Road at the intersection with Champlain Road will be CLOSED on Monday, July 29, from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, to accommodate a sewer main repair project. The work and the timeframe involved are weather dependent and bar unforeseen issues. Traffic control will be in place, and alternative routes should be used. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Contact the Wastewater office at 288-4028 with questions.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR SEAWALL UPDATE
SOUTHWEST HARBOR—John Goodwin Jr. Construction reports on Wednesday, July 24, that most of the major construction work on Seawall Road is done.
The area is still closed to all traffic. This includes walkers, cyclists, and runners.
The project is still expected to be finished on Friday and the road is expected to open Friday evening.
“It’s amazing what we can accomplish together!” the company wrote in a social media post.
The following are press releases that we received after our last briefs were put out. We’ve included them here because of timeliness and also because we’ve been sending out a lot of news stories this week and we have a bit of a backlog.
Topics in Modern Health: Common Eye Issues, Glaucoma, & Optical Health with George Shafranov, MD
On Monday, July 29th from 4:00 – 4:45PM, MDI Hospital invites you to the second event in the "Topics in Modern Health" series at the Northeast Harbor Public Library. This session, Common Eye Issues, Glaucoma, & Optical Health will be presented by Dr. George Shafranov, a board-certified ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist with 35 years of clinical and academic experience. Dr. Shafranov is a renowned Ophthalmologist currently practicing at MDI Hospital’s Northeast Harbor Clinic.
These informative sessions will take place once a month over the summer, each featuring a new speaker discussing high-priority healthcare topics in our community. The flyer with details for each of our upcoming sessions is attached.
This event is free and open to the public. To learn more about upcoming "Topics in Modern Health" sessions, please visit the MDI Hospital website at:https://www.mdihospital.org/topics-in-modern-health/
Gathering of sweetgrass for traditional purposes moves forward at Acadia National Park
National Park Service issues a Finding of No Significant Impact for Plant Gathering Environmental Assessment
BAR HARBOR—The National Park Service (NPS) released a decision and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Gathering of Sweetgrass for Traditional Purposes Environmental Assessment (EA). This decision will allow the five federally recognized tribes in Maine to enter into plant gathering agreements with Acadia National Park.
“A great deal of collaboration, conversation, and hard work has gone into this process,” said Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “This is a critical step in both preserving and protecting the park through co-stewardship with the Wabanaki tribes and providing space for Wabanaki citizens to heal and re-connect with their homeland.”
The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribes at Pleasant Point and at Indian Township, and the Penobscot Nation, referred collectively as the Wabanaki, are culturally affiliated with lands and waters of Acadia National Park. With the establishment of Acadia National Park in 1916, the land was placed under the policies and regulations of the NPS which prohibited traditional tribal practices, such as gathering sweetgrass. The park is actively working with the Wabanaki to establish new and meaningful relationships that center around the reconnection of these lands with the Wabanaki.
In 2016, the NPS issued new regulations (36 CFR 2.6) allowing park units to enter into agreements with federally recognized tribes for the gathering of plants or plant parts. Tribes must be federally recognized, have cultural affiliation with the park, and provide the park with information about the plants of cultural interest.
The park prepared the EA to evaluate potential effects from gathering sweetgrass by traditional tribal methods before entering into agreements with federally recognized tribes, as required by the regulation. The NPS published the EA for public review. The agency accepted comments during scoping from December 18, 2023 to January 17, 2024 and during release of the EA from May 6 to June 5, 2024. Based on the analysis presented and the public comments collected, the NPS has chosen to move forward with Alternative B (proposed action and NPS preferred action), which will allow for the five federally recognized tribes of Maine to enter into individual agreements with NPS to gather sweetgrass in Acadia for traditional purposes per 36 CFR 2.6. Gathering activities would take place under terms specified in each government-to-government agreement between the Tribal Nation and NPS.
EVENTS AT FINBACK ON MOUNT DESERT STREET IN BAR HARBOR THIS WEEK
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