Smart Cards No Longer an Option at Bar Harbor Parking Kiosks
Margaret Porter recognized, Planning Board composition discussed
BAR HARBOR—On Monday, the town of Bar Harbor issued a release that said that because of “recent changes from our manufacturer, IPS Group, our town's parking kiosks will no longer support smart card payments.”
The town apologized for the inconvenience.
The town's kiosks will still accept $1.00 parking tokens, which are now available for purchase. If your smart card has any remaining balance, you can exchange it for these tokens or receive a refund at the municipal office during regular business hours.
“Looking ahead, we're actively exploring alternatives to enhance your parking experience, including the possibility of introducing coupon codes for parking discounts,” the town said. “While this feature won't be available during the current parking season, we're committed to implementing improvements as soon as possible.
“We apologize for any disruption this may cause and thank you for your understanding.”
At last week’s Town Council meeting, Police Chief David Kerns had said that he expected a fix on the parking kiosks function would be done this week and tokens will be retrofitted to all kiosks. That conversation quickly moved to other Bar Harbor traffic issues this year because of road construction.
Earlier this year, the cost of premium on-street public downtown parking spaces increased to $4 an hour. Cheaper spaces further away from the intersection of Cottage and Main Streets cost $2 according to the town’s fee schedule. Prior to July 2023 those rates had been $1.50 and $2 an hour.
Earlier this spring, rather than increasing those rates again, the Town Council voted to extend the location of premium parking spaces further down Cottage Street, away from Main Street and toward Hannaford’s and the town’s municipal building.
The paid parking program brought in $1.65 million in 2019 and then $3.4 million in 2023. The budget goal this year is $3.6 million. However, this year, the town replaced meters with kiosks.
People do not have to pay for parking on July 4.
OTHER STREET ISSUES
Vice Chair Gary Friedmann asked if there were thoughts to reroute traffic on Kebo Street rather than Ledgelawn to deal with traffic backups and construction. Kerns said that it was a state decision that had to do with Ledgelawn’s wider and straighter roadway.
“It’s a lot of traffic for Ledgelawn, but with DOT’s engineering and planning, I have to trust them,” Kerns said.
Councilors also mentioned subcompacts in the temporary RV parking on West Street. This parking had been relocated from outer Main Street because of the construction.
Councilor Kyle Shank said that it felt as if the number of motor vehicle accidents have increased so he asked people to be extra mindful when driving.
Councilor Matthew Hochman talked about a constituent’s worry about the section of road being dark beyond Cromwell Harbor Road while walking to the Jax housing on Main Street. This made the person nervous when walking into town and back home at night.
Friedmann also thanked everyone who had been working so hard on cruise ship issues. “It’s something that we all want to get over and through.”
Councilor Joe Minutolo said he’d been hearing a lot of anecdotal information about Norway Drive speed and asked officers to look into it. Kerns encouraged people with those types of complaints to call the police department.
OTHER BAR HARBOR TOWN COUNCIL NEWS
MARGARET PORTER
Finance Director Sarah Gilbert recognized Margaret Porter in the Finance Office who is retiring next Friday at the end of June.
“Her customer service is amazing,” Gilbert said. “She’s a gem.”
Born here at MDI Hospital, Porter went to island schools and raised her family here.
“Margaret loves the community of Bar Harbor. She’s just wonderful,” Gilbert said.
PLANNING BOARD COMPOSITION
Planning Board Chair Millard Dority and Vice Chair Ruth Eveland gave a quick update on Planning Board issues, which Dority characterized as “a bit of a dilemma.”
Due to resignations, next month there will be just four members on the seven-member board. Dority said that they don’t know who might join, if anyone, and are at times faced with a quorum issue. Joseph Cough had resigned earlier in the year. Secretary Elissa Chesler and new member Cosmo Nims are resigning at the end of the month. They also discussed the possibility of alternates.
Diane Vreeland told the councilors that she had applied for the board earlier this spring and hadn’t heard back. One councilor said that the Appointments Committee typically appoints members in June. That committee is comprised of three councilors, which are appointed at the Council’s organizational meeting in June. Currently, that is Shank, Councilor Maya Caines, and Councilor Earl Brechlin. Board openings are listed on the town’s webpage.
Since that Tuesday meeting, former Planning Board member Ed Damm sent an email to the Town Council and Planning Board expressing his wishes that the membership be maintained at its current level.
“As a past member of the Bar Harbor Planning Board for over eight years,” he wrote, “the secretary during that time and alternate member most the time I earnestly request that the board does not go back to having alternates. Yes, I had a say in the deliberations but with all the work and all the time learning hundreds of pages of LUO, walking subdivisions, getting bit by mosquitoes and black flies, it's a slap in the face not to be able to vote.”
He advocated reducing the quorum size instead and paying board members a nominal fee “to show that you respect their time.”
”When I started with Ron Beard, Doc Young, and Sonny Cough,” he wrote, “the LUO was only 28 pages long. When I left, I think it was over 200 pages long. Every word that is not perfectly defined in definitions is all fodder for the lawyers to argue about.”
PUBLIC HEARINGS AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
There was minimal public comment on unfinished business, public hearings, and new business that didn’t involve cruise ships.
The council held a public hearing and renewed the shared accommodations license for 278 Main Street, the employee living quarters license for 119 Eden Street, special amusement permits for Bar Harbor Regency Hotel\ Harborside Hotel & Marina, Project Social, and Kebo Valley Golf Club.
Social Project’s request was for light and easy music for private parties. Its owner said that they were cognizant that they were across from a hotel and residences were behind them and that where musicians would be (likely two guitarists) there is tree growth and natural buffer. Other neighbors have a garage where their kitchen sits.
“It’s not really our style to play loud music,” he said. “It’s a dinner service with families.”
Gary Friedmann said that there had been communications from an adjacent property owner worried about mechanical amplification.
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