Town Will Hold Public Hearing About Toxic Soil at YMCA
Upcoming Public Hearings and Bar Harbor Couple Make Big Stonington Purchase, Plus Other Real Estate News
BAR HARBOR—The town has called a public hearing about the soil contamination at the YMCA lot on Park Street, releasing two reports about the toxic contaminations in the area.
The Bar Harbor Story last wrote about the issue with full analysis here.
The press release/news flash reads:
“The Bar Harbor Town Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday October 3, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building, for the purposes of hearing comments on the following reports regarding soil contamination located at the YMCA lot at 21 Park Street:
“The public has 30 days from this posting to comment on the reports. Comments can be directed to David Chapman at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.”
The flash news also includes two reports. The first is a 14-page analysis of the Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives by Beacon Environmental Consultants, LLC. The second is a “Community Involvement Plan USEPA Brownfields 128A Funding,” dated September 19.
HISTORY OF THE LAND
Prior to the land being given to the town by the National Park Service, it was used as a storage area for park service vehicles. This could have led to contamination via gasoline and diesel fuel spillage/leakage, solvent spillage/leakage, or anything else related to vehicle storage and maintenance. According to Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s David L. Chapman, who is the project manager and a hazardous materials specialist, the fill on top of the native soil has been around for a long time and nobody can really say where it came from. Many activities have taken place on top of that fill over the years.
In addition, the abutting former Bangor Hydro property was once a coal burning electric power plant.
The site is owned by the Town of Bar Harbor and leased to the MDI YMCA. Former Bar Harbor Sustainability Coordinator Laura Berry had been involved with getting the state to test the site.
THE REPORTS
The Community Involvement Plan is written by what the state calls a “qualified environmental professional,” Chapman said. In this case, it’s the firm Beacon Environmental Consultants LLC, which is based out of Windham, Maine.
According to Chapman, based on sample sites taken in April 2023, the Maine DEP “have recommended that some form of barrier or temporary cover system be used for this area to prevent direct contact with exposed soil. These barriers/cover systems may consist of geotextile fabric, tarps, wood chips, imported clean soil, grass, secure vegetation, or other means of preventing direct contact with soil.”
Chapman said that the plan is currently still in the assessment phase, which he said includes, background information review, sampling,, and developing cleanup plans.
“For the YMCA property,” Chapman said, “I know the Town notified the surrounding area before the April 2023 sampling took place, but I don't recall what other forms of communication they used. They may have addressed or updated the public at some town meetings. The Town should be able to better answer this question.”
The town referred questions to Chapman. A flyer was put on the doors of neighboring properties, alerting them to the testing. All three reports are below.
THE CONTAMINATION
In April of this year, the Bar Harbor Story reported on soil testing that was taking place on the grounds of the MDI YMCA.
The “Phase II Environmental Site Assessment” report by Beacon Environmental Consultants, LLC states that the soil is definitely contaminated. Much of the contamination is from arsenic and lead, but other hazardous chemicals are present as well. The main yard that is due east of the entryway doors and wraps around to the back of the YMCA has the majority of the contaminated samples.
Regarding the test results, Mount Desert Island YMCA CEO and Executive Director Ann Tikkanen said,
“On behalf of the Y community, we are very appreciative of the support we have received from the Town of Bar Harbor staff, and the coordinated effort with the State of Maine's DEP in order to complete the needed work to make our Y and the neighborhood safe for everyone. Working closely with the Y's board and trustee members, we are actively considering how best to put our outside green spaces to use, and to take full advantage of our beautiful site and landscape.”
According to the report, “Findings from this investigation suggested the urban fill materials observed at the site contained arsenic, lead, and benzo(a)pyrene at concentrations that exceeded the MEDEP Remedial Action Guidelines. These materials may represent a direct contact exposure risk to future site occupants.
For more information on brownfield sites in Maine you can go to the State of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection website.
OTHER PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public Hearing 10/17 on General Assistance Ordinance Amendment
The Bar Harbor Town Council will hold a public hearing October 17, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building Council Chambers to hear comment on a proposed amendment to the General Assistance ordinance, the annual revision of maximum benefit levels.
Call the Town Clerk at 207-288-4098 for more information.
THIRSTY WHALE Public Hearing 10/3
The Bar Harbor Town Council will hold a Public Hearing Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building Council Chambers to consider a Special Amusement Permit Application from The Thirsty Whale, 40 Cottage St, application for a new Class 3a, three or more musicians with mechanical amplification as submitted by Michael Rosa.
For more information about Special Amusement Permits and the controlling town ordinance, visit the Special Amusement Permit page or contact the Clerk’s office at 207-288-4098.
REAL ESTATE NEWS
OCEANFRONT RESTAURANT IN STONINGTON SELLS TO BAR HARBOR COUPLE
STONINGTON—The landmark building at 27 Main Street in Stonington, recently the subject of much discussion and speculation, has sold. The sale price is undisclosed at this time, but the buyers are Laura and Erik Johnson of Bar Harbor, represented by broker Erica Brooks of Swan Agency Real Estate.
“I can’t wait for the community to see what Laura and Erik have planned for this truly extraordinary space,” said Brooks. “It took much work to get to this point but I’m thankful to the seller’s broker, Morgan Eaton of The Island Agency and the buyer’s lender, Vicki Hall at Machias Savings Bank, for helping to get us to the finish line."
Longtime mentor and business partner Michael Brennan will join the Johnsons in their new endeavor 27 Fathoms Waterfront Grille. Current plans for the space are to bring back food service to the location, something that is desperately needed and anticipated by the community.
John McVeigh, a fellow business owner at J McVeigh Jewelry, board member of the Stonington Opera House, and member of the Town’s Economic Development Committee assured the buyers that Stonington would embrace a new restaurant and both locals and tourists would be very happy to patronize a well-run establishment with wonderful food choices in this exquisite location.
The buyers have over 45 years of experience in the food service industry ranging from catering/events to fine dining and fast casual settings. Currently they own and operate a restaurant on MDI and have always loved Stonington as it was a special place to late artist Helen Douglas, Laura’s mother.
“We are excited to start over the winter with occasional pop-ups and take advantage of the off-season to get our feet wet and plan for the 2024 season,” said Laura.” We love Stonington and look forward to becoming a part of the year round community.”
OTHER PROPERTIES FOR SALE
According to a search on Zillow, there are 33 homes or lots for sale in Bar Harbor currently. Those range from $195,000 (2.04 acre lot) to $325,000 (lowest priced home, 1 bedroom, 1 bath) to $11 million. The recent designer showplace on 76 Hamilton Hill is for sale for almost $8 million. Eight properties are over a million. Ten properties are between $600,000 and $1 million. Nine homes are less than $600,000.
Commercial real estate available includes the new Destination Health building on upper Cottage Street, which has come under criticism for trying to change its upstairs short-term rentals to transient accommodations after missing a rental permit deadline. The owners had said multiple times that without the revenue from shorter rentals, they could not keep their business.
Also for sale is the Mama DiMatteo’s on Kennebec Place, Import Auto on 102, Eden Village Motel and Cottages, the RL White and Son property in Hull’s Cove, and the Island Take-Out business and convenience store at the head of the island.
Disclosure: Our home is across the street from the YMCA.
To contact David Chapman, email him at David.Chapman@maine.gov
